Actually Star Crossed
by dalovelover
Summary: After the 75th Hunger Games, Peeta Mellark was captured by the capital and brainwashed, deleting his memories of both games, and particularly, Katniss Everdeen. Katniss was sent back to district 12 to be a slave for the capital; Where Peeta is the new president. A slight Cinderella story.Will Peeta ever remember who Katniss is? Forbidden love tastes the sweetest. Rated M in case.
1. Five

Five years.

It had been five years since the first day of the quarter quell, five years since Katniss' last moments of freedom from the capital. Five years since she's seen him.

Katniss took a deep breath. Feeling safe and in her element, she sat on her favorite hillside outside of the electric limits of district 12, and stared at the forests. She studied the trees, reminding herself of the first hunger games, and how she hid in the cave with him for hours on end while he trembled in her arms from poison. She remembered kissing him for the first time; how he made her cheeks blush. Silently touching her fingers to her face, Katniss sighed as the light breeze tossled through her dark brown hair. She could almost smell the bread he used to make at the bakery.

Snapping back to reality, Katniss stood up and ran into the forest to find food for her family. She had lost all of her privileges in victors village, and the Everdeen family was poorer than ever. As she hunted, she remembered the conversation she had with President Snow after the second games.

_"Where is Peeta?!" Katniss demanded, tears welling up in her eyes. __**Don't cry**__, she told herself. __**He'll think you're weak.**_

_"Peeta has a new life ahead of him, Ms. Everdeen," President Snow whispered bitterly. "His memories have been wiped, and he is to become the next President of the Capitol."_

_"What?! Why would you take away his memories? You think you can just delete people like they're nothing! How can you be so heartless?!" Katniss angrily yelled at him. _

_President Snow sneered at her. "Peeta Mellark becoming President will put our society back into place. He was close enough to you to be a minor symbol of the rebellion, Thus the people of the districts must see who's side he now chooses to be on, which is ours."_

_"You know that's not true. You know that's not-" Katniss started._

_"Katniss, hush," President Snow silenced her. "Peeta will not be harmed. He has simply had a change in attitude. You must have a change in attitude as well."_

_"I will never let you take me, I'll die first," Katniss defied him._

_"You are going to leave Victor's Village and return to district 12. You are forever sentenced to be in custody of the capitol, and when we call upon you, you will be asked to serve capitol members," President Snow explained. _

_Katniss laughed bitterly. "What makes you think that I will be a servant to those materialistic shells that you call citizens of the capitol?!"_

_President Snow laughed at her. "Katniss, for you there is no worse punishment than to be a servant. You're serving of the capitol citizens will show the districts that chose to rebel who is in charge of our society. To ensure that you will continue to serve, we have taken your sister into the custody of the capital. You will be allowed to visit her 4 times a week, and she will be monitored for health issues constantly. We intend to keep her alive as long as you continue to serve."_

Remembering the horror at President Snow's cold words, Katniss shot a squirrel right in the eye to bring to Primrose at her next visit.

When she was called upon to serve the capitol members, she visited the elite members of capitol government, bringing them fresh coal and lighting their fires as they chuckled at her. "Some girl on fire you are," The citizens cursed at her. She had burn marks on her hands and arms from her job. As she continued to run through the forests, her mind continued to flashback.

_"'I'll tell Peeta!" Katniss exclaimed, tears free falling silently down her cheeks. "He loves me. He won't forget me."_

_"Mr. Mellark has been wiped of all his memories, he does not know who you are. To him, you are merely a servant girl. The dirt beneath his feet," Snow said slowly, enunciating his words. "If you attempt to tell Mr. Mellark of his past life, your sister will be sentenced to death."_

Feeling as though she could run no more, she stopped and placed her hands on her knees. Head pounding, Katniss reminded herself that she had no way out. **I have to protect Prim**, she thought.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up behind her. Leaping swiftly and turning around, arrow drawn, she laughed as she saw her best friend Gale walking towards her.

"I see you caught another squirrel today, Katnip," Gale said, his blue eyes sparkling at her. Katniss always knew he was in love with her, but she never felt the same way. Not since the games. Not since Peeta.

"Tomorrow's visiting day. I have to bring Prim something to eat in case they don't feed her. She isn't allowed to tell me how they treat her there," Katniss explained sorrowfully.

"You said Snow told you they had to keep her alive in order to lock you to your agreement. They aren't starving her," Gale whispered, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You're the one that's starving. You should split that with your mother."

"Prim is more important than me," Katniss contradicted. "Besides I had some bread crust last night, I'm fine. My hunting skills are more important to keep up."

"Katniss, you're never going back to the games. You don't have to keep strengthening your skills…You are never going back to the games!" Gale reminded her, yelling the second time.

"You never know when you'll have to fight," Katniss muttered darkly. "Besides, I need to have tough skin. The harder I work, the stronger I feel."

"You're the strongest person I know, and you're so brave for doing what you're doing. Maybe Peeta-" Gale started.

"Don't say his name Gale. We talked about this. You know that it hurts me," Katniss said quietly.

"I'm just saying, maybe he remembers you. Maybe that's why you haven't had to deliver him coal since the quarter quell. Maybe that's why you haven't seen him."

"Maybe," Katniss muttered. "C'mon, lets go back. I have to check on mom."

The two friends wandered through the woods until they reached the electrical wire that no longer hummed with current. They ducked underneath the fence, walking back towards the ruin of civilization known as home. Gale walked Katniss to her door, before they both saw a white rose with a letter attached to it.

**You are to serve coal to 200 citizens tomorrow.**

**One of them will be the President of Panem, Mr. Peeta Mellark. You must dress your best.**

Katniss gasped. "I'm serving coal to Peeta tomorrow," She said quietly. "I'm serving coal to Peeta tomorrow!" She looked up at Gale. His expression was horrified.

"Why now?" Gale asked her. "It's been five years."

Katniss' emotions flipped from excited, to nervous, to lustful, to frightened. "Maybe they had to make sure he really didn't remember me before they brought me back. They must be televising it to humiliate me, I'm sure the capitol citizens will love that. Me serving my star crossed lover who doesn't even remember who I am. No wonder why they asked me to 'look my best'."

Gale cursed under his breath. "You don't need to dress up for him Katniss. He isn't going to treat you any differently from any other capitolists. This is sick."

"Gale," She stopped him, simply saying his name. "I have to do this. I have to do this… for Prim." With that, she stepped inside and closed the door, clutching the letter between her hands. **I'm seeing Peeta tomorrow.**

She didn't sleep all that night, wondering what he would look like. Wondering if he would smell the same. Wondering if, just maybe...

he might remember her.

REVIEW AND FAVORITE! NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP SOON.


	2. Burning

Katniss put on her mother's long sleeved white dress, with lace on the top that cinched at her waist and cut off right above her knees. She tucked the frontal strands of hair behind her with pins on either side. She let the rest of her hair flow long and curly, yet flipped it behind her shoulders.

**I guess this is as nice as it's gonna get for a poor girl.**

She left her house in the darkness of the early morning and walked over to the train station, waving goodbye to a worried Gale through his window as she hopped on with the rest of the coal bags. She wasn't allowed to sit in the train cars with the normal people anymore.

"**We should be at the capitol in 4 hours," **The automated train voice announced as the doors sealed shut. **"Please, relax, and enjoy your ride!"**

"Yeah, some ride I'll enjoy," Katniss muttered to herself, as she pushed the coal bags around and attempted to make a comfortable place for her to lie. Finally, after shoving around, she placed her hands behind her head and laid in the darkness.

**_I wonder what it will be like to see him._**

**_I wonder if he looks the same._**

**_I bet he looks better…_**

Before she knew it, Katniss had fallen into a deep sleep. Suddenly, the jerk stop of the train sent her flying into the coal bags, bruising her cheek. She rubbed it as the doors to the capitol servant entrance slid open.

Temporarily blinded by the sunlight, Katniss held up her hand to shadow her eyes before being pulled out by two capitol guards. "It's time to go Ms. Everdeen, The capitol citizens are cold and in need of a nice fire, if you know what I mean."

Katniss jerked her elbows free of the two men. "Don't touch me," She told them bravely before receiving a slap across the face.

"Don't ever speak that way to a capitol citizen, you piece of filth. You are not a victor anymore, you're a servant girl."

Rubbing the bad side of her face, Katniss cursed silently under her breath. **_Fuck, this is going to really be painful,_** already imagining the purple and red mark that must have taken over the left side of her face.

Katniss spent the day spilling coal and lighting fires for the people in the capitol. They laughed at her, struck at her, and humiliated her to a point where she felt so miserable she almost forgot about seeing Prim.

Finally, at the end of her day, Katniss dragged herself to the President's office. Battered and burned, she had black coal smudges on her face, while her white dress turned gray at certain spots where she let it touch the fire. Her hands and legs were shaking because she was so tired, but she didn't care. All she could think about was seeing Prim.

Katniss slowly knocked on the door, expecting a cameraman to be right in her face, watching her bend down and serve President Mellark while the audience of the capitol laughed at her. **_Remember, Katniss, he doesn't even remember you._**

The door to his office slowly opened by another old tribute, Haymitch, who had also been forced to become a servant to the President. He winked at Katniss as she smiled at him, slowly walking through the door.

Lavishly decorated, the office was purple with a giant fireplace on the sidewall. His desk was made of the finest mahogany, with a blue transparent screen raised slightly above his desk with a glowing keyboard attached to it. The lighting was dim, with crystal chandeliers glowing above her as she slowly stepped forward in awe. She stared up at the light fixtures, and gasped as they threw rainbows against the walls.

"Pretty spectacular, I know," A familiar voice said. "The rainbows are from the light reflections. I'm sure you've never seen crystals before."

Katniss looked at the figure that spoke. His back was turned away from her, flipping through a file. **_His strong back… His blonde hair…_**

Suddenly, the figure turned around, being none other than Peeta. Catching gazes, his mouth gaped open for a split second before he shook his head so slightly. "It's freezing in here. Can I get a fire, please?" He asked her abruptly, gesturing towards the fireplace. "I'm only the damn President."

Katniss, not taking her eyes off of him, slowly walked towards the fireplace, a bag of coal in both her arms. His eyes stayed locked with hers, following her the entire way. Reluctantly forcing her eyes away, she knelt down and faced the fire, slowly putting coals inside the darkness. She could feel the heat of his gaze boring into her back. "I'm sorry, sir," She spoke.

Peeta, for a strange reason feeling guilty for being so demanding, closed his eyes. "I've never seen you here before, what district are you from?" **_She seems so familiar… _**

Katniss, keeping her eyes on the fire, silently felt her breath catch in her throat. Coughing ever so slightly, she continued to place one coal on top of another. "12, sir," she said quietly.

"I've never met anyone from district 12," Peeta mumbled. "Horrid place to live. It must be freezing there."

"Below freezing," Katniss muttered to herself.

"Sorry, what was that?" Peeta demanded sharply.

Katniss sighed, sitting up straight and turning her head around. Her angry eyes looked into his, seeing straight through him. "Below freezing, Sir," She said loudly and bitterly. Her defiance seemed to radiate from her angry stare, and Peeta confusedly looked at her. Realizing that she was not behaving as a servant should, she quickly turned around again and continued at her current task. **_Don't snap at him again, you moron. You can't jeopardize seeing Prim._**

Silence filled the air as Peeta shrugged and continued reading his file. Moving over to his desk, he sat down at his desk, typing into his translucent computer. Continuing to glance over at her, Peeta struggled to remember why it seemed like déjà vu. **_Her spirited eyes… Who is she?_**

Katniss placed several logs into the fire before lighting it. Gasping in pain, she winced a hot coal burned through the skin on her hand. She looked away in pain, her burned hand throbbing.

"Are you alright?" Peeta asked from his desk, minding his own business and continuing to type.

Katniss winced in pain. "Fine, sir," She choked out, her burned hand trembling. Her eyes welled up with tears. She quickly sniffled and continued to place wood with her good hand.

Peeta, his head snapping up at her sniffle, looked over at her. He noticed her face was stained with fresh tears. "What's the matter?" He asked, nonchalantly. "Will you be able to continue your work? Haymitch," He snapped his fingers. "Go help her."

"Yes, sir," Haymitch replied, hustling over to Katniss. He knelt down beside her and started to throw wood on the fire. He looked down at her trembling hand. "Katniss these are third degree burns!" He whispered, looking at her face.

"I have to see Prim, Haymitch, you know that. He can't find out, he won't let me see her. Snow is watching my every move, he'll know if we talk," Katniss whispered back.

"Katniss this could leave permanent damage," Haymitch shook his head. "Keep going slow, I'll get a first aid kit. He won't even know."

Haymitch slowly stood up, silently removing the first aid kit from the closet against the wall.

"What do you need that for Haymitch…" Peeta trailed off as Katniss' face snapped over to look at him. **_Why is she crying?... Cool it Peeta, you're the president and she's a damn slave…_**

"I'm sorry sir, but…" Haymitch looked over at Katniss as she shook her head.

"Haymitch, it's fine, really," Katniss insisted quietly.

"What's fine, whats going on?" Peeta demanded ferociously. "I order you, tell me now."

"My friend has burned her hand. She didn't want to disturb you or else she would be punished," Haymitch explained. "please, ignore us, we beg your pardon."

Peeta sighed and stood up from the table. "Let me see your hand," he said, sitting on the couch and gesturing her over. "I have some medical training." **_Are you sure you have medical training?_** He thought to himself.

Katniss, angrily looking at Haymitch, slowly stood up and walked over to the couch, sitting down at a distance and stretching out her hand. "it's fine, honestly," She said, looking down at it and wiping old tears away with her free hand. "Happens all the time," she added, nonchalantly.

Peeta gasped. Blistered and bubbled, this girl was acting like there was nothing wrong in the world. Taking her bad hand between both of his, he closely examined it, scooting a bit closer to her. Katniss started to breathe heavily, her insides burning at his touch. As he lightly touched one of her blisters, she winced, reflexively jerking her hand away.

Peeta looked at her and smiled. "Its okay," he said quietly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Before she could stop herself, images of them lying in the cave together quickly flashed through her mind. She shook her head, slightly smiling, and stretched her trembling hand back towards his.

"Haymitch, the first aid kit, please," Peeta called to him, not taking his eyes off of Katniss' hand.

Haymitch gaped as he brought the first aid kit over to the couch. Katniss looked at him, frightened. Haymitch shook his head at her. **_I don't know…_** Haymitch said through his eyes. **_He couldn't possibly remember…_**

Peeta rubbed ointment onto Katniss' hand, and wrapped it with gauze. Looking up at her, he felt warm when her eyes looked into his. Breaking her gaze, he looked around the room, smiling and shrugging. "You're uhh… you're all set!" He said. "You should be fine in a couple weeks," he said, placing his hand on her knee. He felt jolts of electricity when he touched her.

"Thank you, sir," Katniss said, as they both stood up. "I'll see myself out."

"Please, call me Mr. Mellark," Peeta introduced himself. "I've never liked being called Sir. For some reason it makes me feel uncomfortable," he explained, sitting back at his desk.

Katniss walked towards the door. "Of course, Mr. Mellark," She said, not turning back but a wide smile crossing her face. Haymitch noticed, and shook his head at her, mouthing the word "No". Katniss rolled her eyes at him, mouthing "I Know".

As Haymitch opened the door, Peeta stood up from behind his desk, jerkily. "So what should I call you?" He asked quickly, desperate to hear her voice one last time. **_You had to ask for a servant's name. C'mon Peeta, some president you are._**

Katniss turned around and looked at him, slightly raising her eyebrows. "Katniss," She said, lowering her head. She winced a smile, curtsied and left the room.

Haymitch closed the door, leaving Peeta alone in his office.

"Katniss…" He said to himself, a smile coming across his face. **_Katniss… The beautiful servant from district 12._**


	3. Visiting

Katniss was escorted to the prison cells after her strange interaction with President Mellark. She looked at the gauze on her hand and smiled, fondly remembering how he treated her nicely when they hadn't even met. She remembered how he asked for her name when he didn't have to. Why he seemed nervous when she looked into his eyes.

Blushing faintly, she finally reached the prison cells. "Prim?" She called into the darkness. "I'm here, boy it's been a long day."

"Ms. Everdeen," Snow came forward into the light. "I can only imagine."

Katniss' breath started to pick up, knowing that Snow had seen her entire interaction with Peeta. "Listen," she started to explain quickly. "He asked for _my_ name. He wanted to help with my hand, I said I was fine! Don't punish my sister for Mr. Mellark's curiosity-"

"Don't you dare refer to him so informally, He is Sir or Mr. President at best," Snow retorted.

"He gave me permission to call him Mr. Mellark," Katniss fought back. "I haven't broken my promise. I haven't told him who I am, and I haven't told him about the games. He doesn't remember me…" she trailed off, looking at the ground. "It's awful."

Snow sighed. "Unfortunately, Katniss, he will never remember you," Snow said, walking by her. "Your sister is in cell 12. Watch what you say next time," He threatened, closing the prison door behind him.

Katniss took off, running towards cell 12 and flopping down on her knees in front of it. "Prim?!" She called into the darkness.

Primrose Everdeen, with her pure, childlike face, came into the light from behind the bars. "Katniss!" She said, touching Katniss' hands through the bars. "What was he talking about? What happened with Peeta?" She whispered.

Katniss smiled, worriedly. "Forget what he said, how are you doing?" She asked quickly. "Are they feeding you enough? I brought a squirrel but they wouldn't let me-"

"I'm fine Katniss," Prim answered. "I'm getting fed. I'm sleeping. I get to go outside once a day," Prim trailed off as she saw guilt fall onto Katniss' face. "It's not so bad," she whispered slowly, touching Katniss' cheek.

Katniss looked up at her. "You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me. I'm going to get you out of here Prim, I swear."

Primrose rolled her eyes. "You know you can't do that. They will find both of us and then we'll get killed or locked in here forever."

Katniss sighed. "I'll find a way. I promise," she said. Prim looked down. Katniss quickly reached into her pocket and slipped something into Prim's hands. "I got this for you yesterday."

Prim laughed. "A mockingjay?" She asked, studying the gold pin Katniss had handed her. "There are no mockingjays in the capitol, Katniss."

Katniss laughed. "It's to remind you of back home. And to protect you. As long as you have it, you should know that I'm coming for you. Don't ever doubt it, Prim."

Prim's eyes filled up with tears. "I won't. I would never doubt you Katniss."

Suddenly, Katniss heard a guard call "visiting time is up!" Kissing both of Prim's hands, Katniss stood up. "I'll see you in a day or two, okay?"

"Okay," Prim nodded shakily. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Katniss responded, walking away.

**Sorry this chapter was short, but at least you get the gist of the future plotlines. Will Katniss ever be able to bail Prim out? Does she have a plan? Stay tuned!**


	4. Candlelight

Throughout the next day, Katniss hunted and sold to peacekeepers in exchange for money. She was hoping that she could save enough to bail Prim out of jail, however she was nowhere near close to what Snow would accept.

On her hunting trip, She told Gale about what had happened, however he was more concerned about her hand than how Peeta had spoken to her. "I'm glad Haymitch got the first aid kit, even if it meant Snow had to come talk to you."

"Gale its not like that. Peeta can never know who I am, we can't interact, ever," Katniss retorted sharply. "What about Prim?"

"Snow can't hold onto her forever. He'll get tired of this game he's playing with you and find another tribute to torture. Eventually there will be another."

"Gale-" Katniss started in attempt to disagree.

"Eventually, there will be another," Gale said stronger, looking into her eyes. "You have to let me believe that, Katniss," he said to her, earnestly. "I have to hope that Snow will let you go."

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Katniss made a lame excuse to leave the conversation and returned back home, feeling her stomach drop as she saw another message from the capitol left in front of her door.

**You have been asked to stay in the capitol servant quarters for the next week. We will require that you maintain your duties, serving coal to 200 citizens per day.**

**Additionally, there will be a celebration at the President's palace at the end of the week. Coal is to be lit before all guests arrive. You are free to return home to district 12 after your duties are completed.**

**You will have additional time to visit your sister.**

**You will be serving the President of Panem, Mr. Peeta Mellark. You must dress your best.**

Re-reading the last familiar line, Katniss groaned, internally conflicted. **_Of course I want to see Peeta,_** her heart told her. **_But if he talks to you again, something might happen to Prim_**, her head disagreed.

Katniss packed her best clothing and left early the next morning for her week at the capitol. She had never stayed overnight in the servant's quarters, she wondered why they requested her all of a sudden. **_Maybe because the temperature is dropping?_** She asked herself. Her mind quickly changed the subject and wondered what the servants quarters would be like in comparison to district 12.

Familiarly lying on her sack of coals, she quickly braided her hair and closed her eyes, listening to the train rumble onward towards the unknown. She finally allowed herself to drift off into darkness.

The train jerked to a stop, and Katniss quickly hopped out and followed the peacekeeper who was to show her to her room. He unlocked the door, revealing a bed, a toilet, a long mirror, and a sink.

"If it drops below 20 degrees at night, you will receive an additional blanket. President Mellark is very accommodating."

"Isn't he," Katniss muttered sarcastically.

Katniss plopped down her trunk and got straight to work, starting fires for the civilians of the capitol from dawn until dusk.

Before reaching the President's office, She had one final citizen to serve.

Knocking on the door, A servant opened it slowly, revealing Cato lying peacefully on his couch. Suddenly opening his eyes, he winked at Katniss as she walked in, slapping her on the ass. "Well, well, if it isn't the little fire girl," He teased. "You certainly are hot aren't you."

Katniss' blood boiled beneath her. "Good evening, sir," She bit out, slightly growling at him.

"Well go on then, make the fire. I love watching you bend over," Cato sneered at her, a dangerous tint in his eye.

Katniss quickly threw the coal into the fire and placed some wood, before throwing a match and letting the logs quickly catch up in flames. "That'll be all, Sir," She sneered, standing up and walking towards the door.

Cato quickly jumped up and stood in the doorway, placing his hands on both sides, trapping her in. "Maybe you'd want to stay for awhile…" He grinned at her.

Katniss stepped closer, slightly tantalizing him. She ducked underneath his arms and stepped out of his apartment. "In your dreams, sir," She looked at him furiously.

"Oh how I do dream about it, girl on fire," he sneered before closing the door in her face.

Disgusted but not surprised by Cato's behavior, Katniss scoffed and picked up her final bag of coal to head towards the President's office. **_  
_**

Finally, she reached Peeta's door. Knocking quietly, Haymitch opened it quickly. "Katniss, what did you say to President Mellark?!"

"What are you talking about?!" She whispered quietly to him.

"Ah, Katniss," Peeta called her in chipperly. "Please, start us a fire won't you?"

Katniss wandered in, confused to find at least a dozen peacekeepers rifling through Peeta's office.

"Whats going on, Mr. President?" Katniss asked quietly, getting settled on her knees in front of the fire with Peeta sitting behind her on the couch. She had spoken before she could remind herself not to.

"Turns out, someone has bugged and placed video camera's in my office. I'm assuming its that politician Coin, he's always been out to get me for some reason. I was tipped off to it after returning the first aid kit into the closet. Now no one can keep track of what I do in here," Peeta whispered quietly, taking a sip of his scotch.

Katniss kept silent. **_Does that mean that Snow won't be able to see me?_**

"God forbid anyone see's what we do in here," a female voice came strolling in, revealing it to be Glimmer. She sat on Peeta's lap and kissed him, causing Katniss' stomach to flip as she watched Peeta wrap his arms around her, her blood angrily boiling without her conscious permission.

Instinctively wrapping his other arm around Glimmer's waist, Peeta silently broke the kiss with Glimmer and began looking at Katniss. Glimmer took this as an opportunity to start kissing his neck. **_I hope she can't feel my pulse quicken when I look at the servant…_** Peeta's mind trailed off, with a flickering image of him grabbing Katniss and kissing her passionately. **_No, Peeta_**. **_Don't think about her that way. Shes from district fucking 12!_**

Aggressively rejoining Glimmer in a kiss, he attempted to feel something for her as they're lips moved together. She was the most beautiful girl in the capitol, constantly on the cover of capitol couture. She was a little materialistic, but she worshipped him. To his dismay, he didn't feel any jolts of electricity when he touched her. Nothing like the other night with Katniss...

Glimmer began to moan rather loudly, causing Katniss to be fed up. She slapped her hands down, clearing her throat, and stood up. "Should I come back later?" She asked them, causing Glimmer to throw her a dirty look.

Breaking apart the kiss, Peeta placed Glimmer off his lap. "Darling, you better go," He told her. "Same with you boys, I think you've got all the bugs," He announced to the rest of the room. "I have some private work to do." He looked at Katniss, flicking his hand in reference back to the fire. "You stay," he commanded, as he crossed to his desk.

"So, Kat-niss," he said slowly. "How are you finding your time in the capitol?" He asked her slowly.

Katniss looked over at him. "It's fine, Sir," she began. "Can't complain."

Peeta looked up at her. "That's good news," he smiled lightly.

Katniss smiled too. "No, Sir, I mean I literally can't complain. They made me sign something."

Peeta laughed, "Not a protocall I was even aware of," he began, happiness in his eyes. _**She's funny,**** too** _he thought. _**Thats like a**** bonus...**_

Katniss laughed lightly, before continuing her work. She placed the logs slowly on top of one another, buying as much time as she could with him.

Peeta looked at her backside, he watched her move. "Do you always wear your hair like that? It seems so familiar..." he asked, rubbing his head to dilute the slight headache he had just recieved. He took another sip of scotch.

Katniss smiled and looked down. "I only wear it down for special occasions, sir..." she began. Then she lit the fire, disappointed that it caught so quickly. "I'm all finished here," she said, yet she began to tie up her combat boots. Peeta stood up from behind his desk. He watched as she tied her black boots, tucked her bangs behind her ears... he noticed the faint scars on her knuckles.

For some reason, his head began to throb in piercing pain, and he dropped his drink and collapsed to the floor.

Katniss, alarmed, ran over to him. "Peeta?!" She said urgently, automatically touching his face quickly. Seeing him in pain was not new to her, yet it reminded her of old memories. _**What's going**_** on?** She thought. His hands were on his temples, pressing inward, and his face cringed with pain. "Peeta!" She yelled louder, placing her hands on his shoulders and leaning over him. He slowly clenched his fist and began to breathe deeply.

* * *

Sometime later, Peeta opened his eyes, with Katniss' face leaning over him. His headache was gone.

"Are you feeling better?" Katniss asked quietly.

"What happened?" Peeta asked her, slightly embarassed.

"I don't know really, you just kind of... well you collapsed," she admitted, standing up. "It looked like your head was splitting open or something."

Peeta touched his head faintly, feeling the damp cloth that Katniss must have placed on his forehead. He looked at her worriedly. "You were here?"

"You fell unconcious, I moved you to the couch. It's only been about 10 minutes, Sir," She rambled. Then she looked at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I was here," she finally admitted, answering his question. "I... well I didn't want to leave you... in that condition," She said carefully. Then she crossed over and sat on the couch near the far end of his legs, picking up a vile off the table. "I fixed you a healing drink,"she said, handing it to him.

Peeta took the vile and swallowed it in a single gulp. His head automatically began to feel better. "Thank you, Katniss," He said to her. Leaning up.

Katniss looked at him. "You're welcome... is-well... is there anything else you need?" She asked.

For awhile he stared at her, examining her face, her eyes, her lips... _**She stayed without me asking her to. She took care of me. Why does this seem so**_** familiar?**

"Sir?" She pressed.

"I apologize, I feel a sense of deja vu," Peeta admitted.

Katniss froze, the weight of his words sinking in. "Oh?" She asked quietly.

Peeta, staring at her again, unconsciously began to reach for her injured hand. He looked down at it, grazing it lightly with his fingers. Suddenly, he found his other hand lightly touching her neck. He leaned closer to her, whispering her name as he pressed his forehead against hers.

Katniss lost herself for a moment. In his scent, his touch... He hadn't touched her romantically since the games. It had been too long.

Then she snapped back to reality, leaning away and letting his hand drop from her neck. "I'm sorry, Sir. I have to go." With that, she stood up and left the room, throwing a final glance over her shoulder before closing the door.

Peeta laid back on the couch, placing his hand over his eyes. _**This girl is going to drive me crazy.**_

**Who likes it so far? Just wait until the masquerade, things will really start to get moving! Review and favorite please!**


	5. Cinna

The next morning, Katniss woke up earlier than usual since she was able to receive extra visiting hours for Prim. Still dark out, Katniss could still see the moon from her small window as she began dressing for the day. Throwing on her simple and grungy red dress, Katniss quickly braided her hair to the side and hustled out the door. She took a short cut through the kitchen, and slid through the up and about servants preparing for another day in the capitol. **_While the members of the capitol sleep soundly in their beds… How sick._**

Finally reaching the prison, she quietly moved through the darkness till she found Prim locked in her cold cell, yet sleeping soundly in her bed. **_The beds here are nicer than the ones back home at least_** Katniss thought. She watched her for a moment, noticing how she seemed content in her sleep; she was warm and innocent. Not wanting to wake her, Katniss slowly leaned down against the bars until her eyes fluttered shut.

"Katniss?"

Prims quiet voice woke her from her slumber, with the morning sun shining through the small prison windows.

Katniss rubbed her eyes and tucked her bangs behind her ears. "I'm sorry Prim, I must have dozed off," she yawned. "How are you?" Katniss asked her, looking at her earnestly.

Prim smiled. "You never talk about yourself. We're in this together you know," Prim started quietly.

Katniss' eyes snapped up, angrily. "I'm not the one locked in prison."

Primrose stared at her. "Katniss, you might as well be. You're locked in a different kind of prison… they're forcing you to work like a dog."

Katniss looked at her ferociously. "I need to protect you. I don't want you sitting in here worrying about _me!"_

Primrose took her hand through the bars. She looked at her slowly. "Who's protecting you, Katniss? Isn't it time you had a break from protecting people?"

Katniss stared at her sister blankly. **_She's right_**, her mind admitted before she could stop the thought. **_You need a break._**

Katniss shook her head, attempting to shake off the thought. She smiled at her sister. "You're wise beyond your years, little duck."

"Visiting time is up! We'll re open tonight at 9!" They heard the guards call.

Katniss kissed Prim's hands. "I'll see you again tonight okay? I promise."

Prim nodded. "I love you, mockingjay."

Katniss walked away backwards, waving her hands at her sister until she couldn't see her anymore. As she turned around, she bumped into someone and let out a surprised yelp.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you…" Katniss looked up at the man with gold eyeliner. **_Cinna…_**

Katniss smiled and looked down, realizing that she caused this him to drop his books and fabrics. They both bent down, looking around them to make sure no one was watching.

"How is Prim?" Cinna quickly asked her. "I miss you, my girl on fire."

Katniss smiled at him fondly, remembering how their friendship began during the first hunger games. After Snow took Peeta, it became forbidden for them to speak, however on those rare occaisions that they 'bumped' into each other, they took advantage.

"She's okay I think, she's worried about me," Katniss whispered as she collected Cinna's things.

"I'm worried about you too. How's Haymitch?" Cinna asked her quietly.

"He's okay too, he's the door opener for Peeta now. I think Snow wanted to embarrass us as much as possible."

"That's the President for you. But don't worry, I have a plan to get Prim out. Can you sneak out tonight after bed time?" Cinna asked her, his eyes flickering around to make sure no one was coming.

"How am I going to do that? I don't look like a capitol citizen," Katniss whispered angrily.

"There will be a parcel delivered to your room today. You'll have everything you need for tonight. We'll meet you in the garage where tributes mount before the parade," Cinna explained.

"We? Cinna, I have to cross through town to get there. If a peacekeeper sees me I'll be shot on site," Katniss told him.

"Do you want to save Prim, or not?" Cinna snapped at her.

Katniss looked at him. **_He really does have a plan._** "I'll see you tonight," she told him, standing up and walking away smiling.


	6. Reflections

Katniss sighed before walking toward's Peeta's office. When she got there, she found Haymitch pacing outside.

"Haymitch, what's wrong?" Katniss asked him, laying her supplies down and grabbing his hand.

Haymitch sighed worriedly. "Snow is in there with Peeta…"

"What?!" Katniss snapped, her temper flaring. "Why would he-what would he-"

"Apparently the talk of revolution in the districts is becoming too noticeable. 10, 11, 12… they're beginning to fight back. Apparently that's part of the reason Snow brought you here this week… He wanted to keep an eye on you," Haymitch explained. "He's worried you're fueling the uprising."

Katniss rolled her eyes, yet her heart fluttered as she heard more about the district's support for her that she never asked for. She was grateful, but now she constantly had to worry about the people of the district's well being. **_It's on me, now,_** she thought to herself.

"How could Snow think that? I've been doing everything he asks," Katniss whispered. "I'm a slave to the capitol."

Haymitch looked around, worriedly. "The people in the districts are watching your every move. They know you would never be doing this on your own terms. They know something is behind it."

"Do they know about Prim?!" Katniss snapped, worriedly.

Haymitch sighed. "Of course not. I'm sure the people think you're trying to get in contact with Peeta. If they knew Prim was locked up… that would spark a rebellion from 12 to 3 at least. The whole country remembers when you volunteered for her. And she looks just like-"

"Rue," Katniss finished for him. The door opened suddenly to Peeta's office. "Just keep your head down, okay?" She said quietly, picking up her logs.

President Snow walked slowly towards the two of them, staring Katniss down on the way. "Miss Everdeen," He muttered, as he continued to walk past her.

Katniss quietly released her breath she forgot she was holding. She looked at Haymitch, frantically. Haymitch touched her face lightly. "Stay strong," he told her.

Katniss slowly walked in. Peeta's eyes flickered up before rubbing them with his fingers.

**_He looks stressed,_** Katniss thought. **_I need to learn more about what's going on. _**

Haymitch closed the door behind her, leaving Katniss and Peeta alone. As Katniss continued to walk towards the fireplace, She watched Peeta as he sat on the couch as still as a statue with his head in his hands.

She knelt down in front of the fireplace, staring at it emptily. Not looking at him, she suddenly felt incredibly worried. "Are you okay?" She whispered to him, before she could help herself. **_I can't start working until he responds._**

Peeta sighed, taking his head out of his hands and staring at her backside. **_Her long, beautiful braid…_** "Don't worry about me. You don't even know me," He began, standing up and walking towards his desk, collapsing in his chair.

Katniss suddenly felt angry. She began stacking logs rather loudly on top of one another. "You're right," she snapped. "I don't."

Peeta suddenly felt guilty. He looked over at her, and couldn't help but smile as he watched her go from sensitive to furious within a matter of seconds. As she hastily stacked log on top of log, he laughed quietly. "Aren't you going to apologize for asking about private business of the President?"

Katniss looked over her shoulder at him. The concern was evident in her eyes, even though she tried to look angry. "I'm sorry sir…" She said confusedly. **_What about last night?_** She wondered. "It's none of my business… Sir-" She began.

"I apologize for my behavior last night," Peeta said quickly. Katniss quickly turned her head back around, staring at the fire. She couldn't let him see that her cheeks became flushed as she remembered his hand on her neck… **_his hot breath lingering so close to my lips…_**

She quickly gasped and shook her head, before realizing that she had stopped stacking her logs. She continued adding log…after log…after log…

"I'm really not one to take advantage of a servant like that. I had so much to drink…" Peeta started again slowly. He watched her furiously create the fire.

Katniss picked her next words carefully. "It's fine…" she said quietly, turning around briskly and hoping he noticed her rosey cheeks. She needed him to know… **_It really was fine. It was better than fine._** **_He hasn't touched me since the last games… Why is he being so rude now?_**

Peeta caught a glimpse of her red face before she turned back around and attempted to light the fire. He involuntarily smiled when he noticed her face had turned red. **_Was she blushing?_**...**_ Stop it, Peeta, _** he reminded himself. **_What about Glimmer…_**

"Yes, well, it won't happen ever again, I assure you," he continued proudly. "I'm a loose drunk, I'll tell you that, fire girl."

Katniss felt a quick jab at her heart, remembering how he called her by her first name the previous night. Suddenly grateful that the logs had caught fire, She stood up, brushing her hands and looking at him angrily. "Right," she stated, bitterly, before curtseying overdramatically and strolling out the door.

Peeta sat at his desk, gaping. He shook his head, in admiration of her spirit as he watched her walk out the door. "Oh, fire girl?" He called back at her.

Katniss turned around angrily. "Yes, Sir?" She spat out. She didn't like that Peeta was being so disrespectful towards her. It wasn't how she remembered him.

"This Friday night is the masquerade ball at the President's mansion. I'll need you to set up the fires between 6 and 7 before the party starts at 8," He announced to her.

Katniss blinked. "Fine," She said. **_Fine? That's all you could come up with?_**

Walking past Haymitch, she made her way back to the prison to visit Prim one last time before her rendezvous with Cinna.

"Did you see Peeta today?" Prim asked her quietly.

Katniss looked into her sister's big, blue eyes, with the image of Rue flashing through her mind.

Katniss closed her eyes, attempting to block out Rue's face._"If they knew Prim was locked up… that would spark a rebellion from 12 to 3 at least. The whole country remembers when you volunteered for her…"_

"Prim," She said quietly, opening her eyes. "He's not the Peeta that you know anymore. He's different."

"Did he hurt you?" Prim asked, worriedly.

"Of course not," Katniss muttered, looking down. "Even the worse version of Peeta wouldn't be abusive," she explained, almost resenting him for it. _**This would be so much easier if I could hate**_** him.**

"His soul is kind, Katniss. He'll remember," Prim started.

"Prim, I don't want to go here again. They hijacked him," Katniss breathed, flickering her eyes around to make sure no guards heard her. "He is never going to remember."

"I read about hijacking before they took me," Prim started. "If he achieves complete connection with someone, his memories will return instantaneously."

"That's just legend, Prim. You know that-" Katniss attempted to disagree.

"Have faith in him, Katniss," Prim looked at her. "He would if it were you."

The guards called time, and Katniss kissed her hands. "I'll see you tomorrow, my cute little duck."

"Goodnight, mockingjay," Prim said, releasing her hands and backing in further towards her cell.

Katniss walked slowly back towards her quarters, reflecting on her interactions with Peeta and Prim. Both of them constantly gave her so much to think about, on top of worrying about Snow, Haymitch, Cinna, and all the rebels in the districts that were beginning to fight on her behalf. **_As if I don't have enough on my plate just worrying about Prim…_**

Finally arriving back at her room, she locked the door and flicked on the light, seeing a box on top of her bed. She rushed over, quietly opening it and pulling out the contents.

A make up kit.

An outfit belonging on the cover of Capitol Couture.

A Black headband made of feathers.

Katniss realized what she had to do to be out in the open. **_I have to become a member of the capitol._**


	7. Mockingjay

**A/N: Who saw catching fire?! Wasn't it amazing?! If you didn't see it, some of the makeup looks written about are inspired from the movie, like Katniss' eyes during the tribute parade. I thought they did amazing! Back to the story…**

Katniss looked at herself in the mirror and didn't even recognize herself. She knew Cinna wasn't expecting her to be in color, so she cateyed her piercing blue eyes with pitch black eyeshadow. Her fierce, black eye makeup and long eyelashes made her look strong and untouchable. **_No peacekeeper is going to approach me now. _**She left the rest of her face unmade, since her skin was flawless and her lips were naturally light pink.

Katniss pulled up the short, strapless black dress over her legs and up over her chest, giving herself a long, final look. She wore black tights, a black dress, and a beautiful black leather jacket that went down past her waist. Her dress shimmered against the moonlight, making it look like feathers were flaring out from her waist. **_I look great_**, Katniss thought before she could stop herself.

Flinging on the black combat boots Cinna packed for her, she collapsed in a frusturated huff on the side of her bed. Knowing it was almost time to go, she released her dark hair from its normal braid and swept it back with Cinna's feather headband, revealing her made up yet natural looking face. **_I'm ready._**

When the clock in the main square chimed at ten, Katniss silently snuck out of her room and through the empty kitchen. She finally made it outside of the servants building, and took in the view around her.

The capitol was lit up like a Christmas tree, with every building shimmering light through the expensive, glass windows. The nightlife was booming, and people were strolling past her in colorful outfits that made them look like aliens to her. **_It's like Effie multiplied…_**

Katniss made her way through town before finally reaching the garage where Cinna was waiting for her. It was dark, but the moon illuminated her way. She saw him standing there with Haymitch and Plutarch Heavensbee.

"Wow, Katniss… you look great," Cinna whispered to her, kissing her cheek.

"Thank you," she said shakily. "Sorry I'm a little late, town was pretty crowded at this time of night."

Cinna shook his head. "No worries, I'm glad you're here. You remember Plutarch Heavensbee?" He gestured to the man standing beside him.

"Of course," Katniss muttered. "Hello, Plutarch."

"Miss Everdeen," Plutarch acknowledged, shaking her hand. "S'been a while."

"Only five years," Katniss snapped. "Since the quell."

"Sorry things didn't turn out as we had planned," Plutarch mumbled.

Before Katniss could respond, Haymitch intervened. "Let's not dwell on the past. We've got business to discuss."

Katniss nodded and looked at Cinna. "You said you had a plan, whats the plan?" she asked hurriedly.

Cinna looked at Haymitch who placed his hand on Katniss' shoulder. "Katniss… in order for us to get out Prim… well it's going to result in some major changes for you."

Katniss looked at him worriedly. "Changes…for…me?"

Haymitch closed his eyes. "We want you to break Prim out during the masquerade this week. It's time she was free."

Before Katniss could interject about Snow, Plutarch interrupted. "However, Snow is going to know who is responsible. Thus…" he took a deep breath and looked at the others. "Thus we see breaking Prim out of the capitol prison as the beginning of the rebellion. This is the action we need to get things started."

Katniss took a shakey breath. "The rebellion… it's that close?"

Cinna took her hand. "Revolution is coming Katniss. The people are just waiting for something to happen, and bringing Prim home could be exactly what they need to catch fire."

Katniss looked at Haymitch now, who's grip on her shoulder tightened as she began to question him. "Okay… what did you mean changes for me?"

Haymitch looked into her eyes. "You are the symbol of the rebellion, Katniss. We want you to lead the people of the districts against the capitol."

Katniss began shaking her head. "No, absolutely not. I am no leader!"

Haymitch shook his head, angrily. "Peeta has been marked as a traitor," he blurted out, causing Katniss' eyes to fill up with angry tears. "When the rebels win-"

"And we will win…" Plutarch interrupted.

"Peeta is going to be tortured. He'll be executed in front of everyone," Haymitch finished. "If you agree to the symbol of the revolution-"

"I can give Peeta immunity," Katniss finished in a whisper. She looked at him frantically. "But-but… I-"

"Katniss," Haymitch said, placing his hand on her face. "You can do this. Everyone believes in you, you have more influence than you're even aware of."

Katniss let a quick tear fall down her face before quickly wiping it away. **_Think of Prim. Think of Peeta. Think of home…_**

She took a deep breath. "Fine," she said, watching Plutarch's face break into a smile. "I'll be your symbol."

Cinna clapped his hands. "I'm so proud of you, Katniss. Don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid," Katniss answered confidently. Cinna, Plutarch, and Haymitch looked at one another, surprised by her strength.

"By the way… we still need a symbol," Plutarch said quietly. "You know, for the propos and the posters…" he trailed off when he saw Katniss' alarmed look. "None of which will be happening until after you and your sister are safely out of the capitol and in district 13."

"A symbol?" Katniss asked. "Like what?"

"How about fire?" Haymitch said. "It's powerful, overtaking… plus Katniss has always had that as her trademark-"

"It has to be something simpler. Fire is good, but what about-"

"How about a mockingjay?" Katniss answered, remembering the pin she gave to Prim. _I love you little duck, I love you mockingjay._ She remembered the tune Rue sang to her in the woods…

"That's great," Cinna said. "I can work with that."

Katniss exhaled sharply. "Okay," she told them, also trying to calm herself down. "So I'm the mockingjay."

"You're the mockingjay," Haymitch repeated.

Katniss looked at them. "So what's our next move?" She muttered. "What's going to happen on Friday?"

Plutarch looked at them. "I've arranged for a hovercraft to pick up you and Prim in the town square at midnight. When the party is going on, there will be no guards at the prison. Haymitch, you're responsible for getting a set of keys."

"That will be no problem," Haymitch said. "All of the other servants are in on this. I'll talk to them tomorrow."

"Be discreet," Katniss warned. "Snow is probably watching my every move."

"Which takes us to phase two," Plutarch explained. "On Friday night, Cinna will have a costume prepared for you. You have to make a quick appearance at the President's ball. Your dress is exquisite, and you're sure to grab some attention. While your distracting everyone, I'll sneak into the mansion for Beetee to connect to the capitol hard drive. I believe it's on the third floor-"

"Beetee?" Katniss asked, excited. "Where's Beetee? What's he planning?"

Plutarch looked at them. "Let's just say he's making some alterations to the lights show at the end of the party," he said with a smile. "It's time for the rebels to make their stand."

Katniss nodded, not wanting to know more. "Will my costume disguise who I am? What if Snow is there?"

Plutarch shook his head. "Snow doesn't show his face in public anymore. He won't be at the party."

"No one will recognize you Katniss," Cinna answered. "It's a masquerade."

Katniss looked at them, the final question on her mind. "What about Peeta?"

Haymitch looked at her. "The less he knows, the better."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "We have to get him to 13. We have to try to break the hijacking. That will show Snow that the capitol can't overpower anyone."

Haymitch began shaking his head before she finished. "It's too risky, Katniss. Peeta isn't going to remember."

Katniss looked down. "Fine," she said. "Cinna, when do I meet you to get ready for the party?"

"Meet me here on Friday at 8. You'll be fashionably late by an hour or so. No one is ever late to the President's mansion-" Cinna began.

"You'll be sure to make an entrance," Plutarch finished.

Katniss looked at each of them individually. "Sounds like a plan."

**Review! Another chapter will be up soon! Thanks to all the followers :)**


	8. Mystery

Katniss made her way out of the garage, feeling empowered. **_I'm the mockingjay. I'm the mockingjay…_**

She crossed through town before noticing the center of the capitol where the tribute parade was held. Before she could help herself, she began walking down the grand aisle, remembering what it was like to be on display, terrified, and holding Peeta's hand for the first time. _"C'mon, they'll love it" _he had told her, but she knew he just wanted to touch her. **_It did make an impression._**

Suddenly, a dark figure came running out from behind the podium. Flying into Katniss, he knocked her to the ground.

"Ouch! You little-" Katniss began before the stranger clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Shh, shh, shh," the person said quietly. Katniss froze when she saw Glimmer running across the stage.

"Peeta?" Glimmer called. **_No, it couldn't be…_** Katniss turned around slowly and looked upon the face of the President, who was staring worriedly at Glimmer. He held Katniss close to him, with his hand still over her mouth. "Where are you, Mr. Sexy President?"

Katniss heard Peeta slowly release his breath as he watched Glimmer walk away. Suddenly realizing his proximity to her, he slowly pulled his hand away from her mouth and helped her stand up, then brushing off his clothes.

"I'm sorry," he began, looking down. "You know what it's like, running from someone you don't really want to see…" he trailed off as he looked at her face, his mouth gaping slightly.

"You should watch where you're going next time, Mr. President," Katniss responded.

Peeta laughed slightly. "Do I know you from somewhere?" Warning bells went off in Katniss' head and she began walking back down the town center aisle.

"I don't think so," She said as she continued walking.

Peeta suddenly kept up behind her. "You seem so familiar to me…"

Katniss smiled fondly at him. "You could say I'm new around here," she explained, as she remembered holding his hand in the chariot riding through the exact spot where they were walking now.

Peeta sighed. "I don't normally take to knocking strangers down, you know," he explained with a smile. "I apologize, Miss…?"

Katniss started walking faster. "It's okay."

He kept up with her. "You'll probably bruise-"

"I've had worse," Katniss replied automatically. She stopped and looked at him, smiling. "Don't lose _any_ sleep about it."

Peeta smiled at her. "I have plenty of other things to lose sleep over."

Katniss began walking again. "I can imagine," she said with a smile.

Peeta continued to walk behind her. "You don't seem like most girls around here."

Katniss looked over her shoulder. "How do you mean?"

Peeta stopped her, touching her shoulder. Her back was to him. "I don't know," he explained. "Most girls would freak out over a paper cut. I'm surprised you're not crying right now."

Katniss looked at him slightly and began walking briskly again. "I'm not a big crier," she snapped.

Peeta laughed. "You most certainly are not," he said. Katniss could feel him smiling behind her as he followed her home. "Well listen, as a new citizen, you really shouldn't be walking around here alone. How about I walk you home?"

**_He's flirting with you._**

Katniss smiled. "That's really not necessary."

"Of course it's necessary," Peeta smiled. "You're a young, beautiful girl walking alone through a city. You need some brute force behind you."

Katniss stopped and stared at him. "Who said I don't have my own force?"

Peeta gaped at her. "Like I said… you're not like most girls around here."

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Katniss started walking away slowly.

Peeta called out to her. "Hey, new girl?"

Katniss turned around and smiled at him. "Yes, sir?"

Peeta winced. "Eugh! Don't call me sir. All the stupid servants call me Sir."

"They aren't stupid," She snapped at him, rolling her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Peeta asked her. "Do you know who I am?"

Katniss strolled up to him, leaning her face in close to his. "I heard you were a kind and honest President," she said slowly. "Every person deserves respect, even your servants…" She trailed off as he stared at her lips. "Sir," she finished.

He was leaning so close to her she could feel his breath on her face, and her body got chills. She leaned in a bit closer, teasing him, before walking away backwards. "Goodnight, Mr. President," she said to him, waving, and then turned around.

Peeta gaped after her, watching her strut away. "Will I see you again?" He blurted out before he could help himself.

Katniss turned back around and looked at him. "Only time will tell," She answered mysteriously.

"Tick, tock," he called back, as he watched her disappear into the darkness.

* * *

Peeta collapsed in his bed later that night, his mind still dwelling on the beautiful stranger that he bumped into.

**_Her spirit… her eyes…_**

_"Yes, sir?"_

A brief image of Katniss' face flickered in his mind before he closed his eyes, attempting to drift off to sleep. **_No, it couldn't be._**


	9. Heat

**Thanks to all my followers! you guys are the best! keep reviewing, I love knowing what you think!**

**My last reviews requested some more Katniss/Peeta action...this is the chapter you've been waiting for!**

**This has a scene of sensuality, good thing it's rated M!**

It was Thursday. One day until the plan was to be executed.

Katniss woke up the next morning feeling nervous. Remembering the previous night, She began scrubbing off the remainder of the black eye shadow she had worn. **_No one can ever know I left the servant's quarters. Peeta can never know it was me. _**

_'The less he knows, the better… they're going to execute him in front of everyone…'_

Katniss closed her eyes, banishing Haymitch's words from the night before. **_I can't let that happen. I'll find a way._**

She went about her usual day business, worrying about Prim in the morning, Haymitch and Cinna in the afternoon, and the districts in the evening. By the time she reached Cato's apartment, she had a splitting headache.

She walked in slowly after hearing him sneer "C'mon in, girl on fire!" **_This is going to be awful._**

She stopped and stared at him, his self tan glistening as he sat on the couch, shirt open, having a drink. "Aren't you going to make me a fire?" He asked her flirtatiously, referencing the giant fire place in front of him.

Without saying anything, Katniss dropped her tools to the floor and began prepping his fire. **_Hurry up_** she told herself. **_Something feels wrong._**

Suddenly, she felt Cato's hot breath on the back of her neck and froze still. "I don't understand how someone from district 12 can smell so good," he whispered, kissing her lightly on her ear. Katniss closed her eyes to keep them from welling with tears as she remembered the perfume Cinna gave her the night before in the package.

"I have a lot of work to do, you better back up," she threatened. **_Basically the polite way of saying get the fuck away from me._**

"Yeah you do have a lot of work to do," Cato sneered, grabbing her neck roughly and turning her around for a kiss. He used his other hand to pin down the arm Katniss was flailing. Katniss struggled against him as he flipped her on her back and started grazing his hands up her legs and in between her thighs.

Without a second's hesitation, Katniss clobbered him on the back of his head, causing him to yell out. With her free hand, she punched him as hard as she could in the nose. Gasping for air, she backed away from him, crouched against the wall like an animal ready to strike. Her neck was stained red from where he had choked her.

Cato touched his nose, blood coming out of it. "You'll go to hell for that," he muttered at her. "Guards!" He called, and two peacekeepers came bursting in, grabbing Katniss by either arm. "This one needs to be punished."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Peeta sat in his office reading reports on the riots in district 11. Rubbing his temples with his hand, his eyes shot up as Cato came strolling in, with two peacekeepers behind him, holding a thrashing girl. They pushed her to the ground and she let out a slight whimper in pain, yet she hid her face.

"What's going on here?" He asked, standing up from behind his desk.

"This servant girl attacked me," Cato explained, referencing his nose. "I want your permission for punishment. It has to be cleared by the president."

"What punishment were you thinking of?" Peeta asked quietly, closing his eyes shut. **_I hate giving permission for punishment._**

As he opened them slowly, Katniss perked up her head, revealing to Peeta the bruises on her neck. She was gasping for air, her hair was tossled, and her dress was ripped at the bottom. Peeta's eyes bulged quickly, before he took a quick breath and realized Cato was speaking to him. "What?" Peeta asked as Cato rolled his eyes.

"I said I would prefer to do whipping-"

"No!" Haymitch blurted out from behind them.

"What is this, some kind of servant free for all day?" Cato sneered at him. "C'mon Peet, just give me permission real quick."

Peeta raised his hand slowly, referencing Haymitch to back down. "I'll take care of it, Cato."

Katniss' eyes bulged out of her head, her breathing becoming fast and labored. She bent her eyebrows, determined to show some sort of anger and lack of fear. **_I'm not afraid,_** she told herself. **_I'm not afraid…_**

"Leave us," Peeta commanded. The peacekeepers exited the room, yet Cato stayed. "You too, Cato," Peeta ordered. "No need for an audience."

Cato smirked at him, bending down to Katniss' level and whispering "have fun". Leaving her with a cold shiver, he left the room, Haymitch giving him a death glare as he closed the door behind him.

"Lock the door, Haymitch," Peeta said urgently as he bent down to Katniss. "Are you okay…" he spoke to her, more like a command for an answer rather than a question. Katniss stayed quiet. "Katniss!" he yelled at her, her eyes shooting up into his. "Are. You. Okay."

Katniss bore her eyes into his. **_Why is he asking me this?_** Katniss thought to herself.**_ I thought he was going to…_** Recognition crossed her face as she realized he was pretending to Cato in order to save her.

"M' fine," she mumbled, standing up. She stood for a moment before shakily beginning to collapse to the floor again, Peeta quickly catching her by her elbows. He helped her over to his couch and sat her down next to him.

"Haymitch, go get us some ice and a first aid kit," he commanded, examining Katniss' neck by maneuvering her face with his hands. He didn't think twice about touching her face, checking her for injuries felt normal, like he had done it a million times. **_I wonder why…_**Peeta began to think. He shook his head and continued to examine her.

Katniss didn't mind. She let him touch her, remembering what it was like to have him take care of her. Then she looked over at Haymitch, who stared at Katniss, his eyes frozen with fear and anger.

"I'll be fine, Haymitch," she choked out, her voice strained from the pain in her throat. Then she looked into Peeta's eyes. "He's not going to hurt me," she continued darkly. Haymitch, with a quick nod, left the room.

"What happened?" Peeta asked her, taking his hands away from her face. "Your neck…"

"I'm fine," Katniss immediately argued.

"Katniss-" Peeta began.

"I. am. Fine," Katniss repeated. "I've had worse, honestly."

Something about the way she said it reminded him of the girl from the previous night. **_Stop thinking about that, Peeta. You have something more serious going on right in front of you._**

"What happened," Peeta repeated, enunciating his words slowly.

Katniss looked into his eyes. **_Do I tell him the truth?_**

She took a deep breath. "He scared me when I was making his fire. The punch was an accident."

Peeta shook his head at her. "You're a rotten liar, Katniss."

Katniss stared at him. "How can _you_ tell when I'm lying or not?"

Peeta pointed his finger at her. "So you do admit you were lying," he said with a slight smile.

Katniss looked down at her lap. She couldn't help herself, she gave a small smile too. "I didn't admit to anything," she told him.

Peeta chuckled breathlessly, before slowly reaching over and taking her hand. "Please tell me, Katniss."

Katniss took a deep breath. "Well he kind of… attacked me. He tried to… you know…"

Katniss watched Peeta's eyes as they turned angry. "Nothing happened!" She felt the need to assure him.

That piece of information didn't seem to help as his face remained furious. He didn't even have time to remind himself not to care about the servant girl in front of him; his blood started to boil and his heart pounded faster. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Thank you for telling me," he said darkly, releasing her hand.

Katniss got angry at his reaction. "You're welcome, I guess…" she croaked out. **_I'm fed up with him being hot and cold, even if I am a servant._** "Why didn't you just let them take me?" She blurted out furiously. Peeta's eyes snapped up.

"You mean have him publicly whip you for defending yourself?" he snapped back at her. "Yeah, great idea... everyone deserves respect Katniss. Servant or not."

Katniss took a deep breath, remembering her saying that to him the night before. _**Maybe I had an influence on him.**_

"You can't do anything to Cato. Please," she begged, thinking only of Prim. **_What would Snow say if he found out I punched an elite member of the capitol in the face? What would he do to Prim? What would he do to Peeta?..._**

Peeta stood up. "I have an obligation, Katniss. I'm the damn President. I can't just let him get away with this-"

"Obligation? You have no obligation," Katniss contradicted. "What's your obligation? And don't say the law because that is just complete bullsh-"

"An obligation to you," Peeta blurted out without thinking. Katniss took a deep breath as she watched him throw his hands in the air. "I don't know why, but I feel like I owe you something." He sat down next to her again. "I feel connected to you."

They sat in silence for awhile before Katniss felt the need to speak. "You feel? What kind of feeling?" **_Maybe…_** she thought, her heart swelling with hope. **_Could it be?_**

Peeta looked at her confusedly. "I don't know, I-I guess its like an unconscious thing. Lately I've been feeling really off. Ever since you came here. I keep having these weird dreams-"

"What kind of dreams?" Katniss asked urgently. He looked at her. "Tell me," she commanded, placing one of her hands gently on his cheek and the other on top of his shoulder.

Worried, Peeta looked in her eyes. "I keep dreaming that I'm dying. It's dark. And the only person I can see is you."

Katniss froze, slowly taking her hands away, his words sinking in.

**_He's having a memory. An actual memory. _**She took a deep, shaky breath as she watched him.

Peeta looked down at his hands, his face showing a frusturated smile. "I don't know what it means. At first I thought it was just because I was attracted to you. But then I started getting headaches when you came around," he rambled. Katniss listened, slightly alarmed, as his words continued to pour out. "Like, horrible headaches," he explained. "And the dream became constant, every time I fell asleep. I resented you for it," he admitted, looking into her eyes finally. "You can't tell anyone about this. I-"

Before he could say something insulting about her status, Katniss grabbed his face and pulled him into an aggressive kiss.

**:O ! What will happen next? Another chapter up later if you guys review!**


	10. Nightmares

**A/N I'm so glad you like the story! Keep reading! KEEP REVIEWING! I'm taking your comments into account when I write my chapters! Also, this chapter is a little steamy. I hope you can handle it ;)**

Katniss pulled away sharply, Peeta leaning forward to follow her as she broke off the kiss. Alarm flooded her face as she thought about what she just did.

**_I just kissed Peeta._**

"I…" she trailed off, not knowing what to say. "I apologize," she said slowly. "I don't normally let my emotions run away with me-"

Cutting her off, Peeta grabbed her face with both his hands and pulled her back to him for another kiss. Katniss squeaked with surprise, before sinking into the kiss and placing her hands on his chest, gripping his shirt and pulling him closer.

Katniss had only kissed him like this during the quarter quell. She remembered what it was like to have his lips on hers as his hands dove into her hair. His tongue dove into her mouth and she welcomed it with hers as she moved her hands up towards his face.

For a moment they didn't care. He didn't care that she was a servant from district 12. She didn't care that Snow would probably kill her for doing this. They needed each other in that moment.

Katniss slowly laid down on the couch, gripping Peeta's shirt and pulling him on top of her. He sank his body into hers, running his hands up and down her waist. She felt safe with him, in contrast to Cato who had been doing the same thing only a few minutes ago. She welcomed Peeta gladly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

His leg moved in between her two legs, and she welcomed it by hitching her calf up around his waist. Katniss gasped for air as he kissed her neck delicately, not causing any pain to the bruises inflicted only moments ago.

Katniss moved her hands to begin unbuttoning his shirt, losing herself in him. Peeta responded hungrily, touching the hem of her dress, when suddenly, they heard a knock at the door.

"Peeta?" A female voice called from the outside.

"M'Busy…" Peeta managed to say before Katniss pulled his head back down for another kiss.

"It's Glimmer, open up we need to talk!"

Katniss and Peeta froze, looking at each other, the weight of their previous activity finally hitting them. Peeta jumped up, fixing his hair and buttoning up his shirt while Katniss leaned up on the couch and pulled her dress back down.

Peeta looked at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but Katniss just shook her head.

"It's fine," she told him casually. "You really should get that." She stood up off the couch and looked at him.

They ignored the pounding on the door for another few seconds and stared at each other, both wondering what to do next.

Instead of speaking, Katniss touched his face gently and walked over to the door, opening it and allowing Glimmer to walk in.

"It's about time," Glimmer said, throwing a dirty look at Katniss. "Peet, where'd you go last night?" She asked as she crossed the room to where Peeta was standing. "I lost you near the tribute parade center."

Peeta blinked rapidly. "I'm sorry, I..." he trailed off, still distracted by Katniss, before snapping back to reality and looking at Glimmer. He smiled at her. "I'm sorry, darling, I bumped into someone who didn't know the way around town. I had to help her out."

Glimmer looked at him, annoyed. "A girl?" She asked, furiously.

"Yes, Glimmer, it was a girl," Peeta said, annoyed. "Am I not allowed to interact with other girls now?"

"Interact with whoever you want, Mr. President," Glimmer responded, slinking her arms around his neck. "But you're only allowed to kiss me…" she said, leaning in for a kiss. Katniss looked down, not able to watch as Glimmer pecked him on the lips.

Peeta broke away quickly, his eyes flickering to Katniss.

"That's weird…" Glimmer muttered.

"What's weird?" Peeta asked.

"Your lips… they taste different," Glimmer started. "Smokey somehow."

Katniss blushed, realizing that was her cue to leave. She walked out the door, throwing a quick glance over her shoulder at Peeta… who was watching her.

**_He looked sad to watch me go._**

* * *

After a visit to Prim, Katniss sat on her bed, reflecting on the day. A large yawn reminded her of Cato's attack… she had practically forgotten about it after kissing Peeta.

Before her mind could run away any further, Katniss stood up and changed into her long sleeve black night dress. She was tucking herself into bed when she felt a note under her pillow. She opened it slowly.

_Katniss,_

_I miss you. When are you coming home? Did you meet with Plutarch? I'm sorry to have kept it from you. I knew it was wrong, but with Snow on your ass I thought it was the best idea. I'll see you on Friday night in the hovercraft. I bet you can't wait to get out of the capitol._

_I love you,_

_Gale_

Gale. Katniss had forgotten about Gale. She had only been in the capitol for a couple of days, and yet he almost seemed like a faint memory. **_He really cares about you. He cares about Prim. Why can't you love him? _**She asked herself.

Peeta's face flashed through her mind.

Fluttering her eyes shut, she attempted to sleep unsuccessfully, lying awake in bed for hours. She tossed and turned, but she had too many thoughts on her mind. _**Prim. Cinna. Mockingjay. Rebellion. Traitor. Peeta. Gale. Love. Tomorrow night…**_

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. Two peacekeepers opened it, and she flung out of bed.

"You are required," A peacekeeper told her. "Grab your tools."

"What time is it?" She asked, getting out of bed and gathering some logs and a bag of coal.

"Just past 3 AM. The President is sick. He needs a fire."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_**Pain. Burning. A gentle touch. A whisper. "It's going to be okay." Pain. "I will never leave you, Peeta." Katniss' face, smeared with blood, smiling softly.**_

Peeta shot up in bed, panting. His face was covered with sweat. Apparently he had been screaming through this recurring nightmare, since the Presidential guards came flying in, flickering on the lights.

"Are you okay, Mr. President?" Octavia, his personal assistant, asked him.

Peeta took a deep breath, his head beginning to severely ache. "I don't feel so well," he told her honestly.

"Call the doctor," Octavia snapped her fingers. "It might be pneumonia, it's been far too chilly out here. Get him some tea, and someone who can make a fire."

Peeta's eyes shot up, looking at Octavia. "No, no fire, that's not necessary." **_I don't want Katniss to see me like this._**

"Nonsense," Octavia said, pressing her ear and calling the proper people to get everything he needed.

Before he knew it, Servants surrounded Peeta's bed, offering him medicine, soup, toast, pillows, tea, new pajamas… Peeta began to feel overwhelmed, sweat building alongside his face. His headache was splitting, causing piercing pain. He heard his door open and knew that Octavia had summoned more servants.

"The fireplace is just over there. Get to work," He heard a voice command. He leaned up out of bed, his eyes catching Katniss' briefly before his view was covered by the mass amount of servants around his bedside.

Katniss' heart seized when she saw him covered in sweat and practically green. It was too familiar, it reminded her of the first games when he almost died in her arms from blood poisoning. She knelt down and began placing the logs slowly. **_Maybe I can get a moment alone with him…_**

The doors flew open again, crashing against the walls, as Glimmer came flying in. "Oh, baby!" She said, placing her hands on Peeta's face. "Are you sick?"

Peeta smiled fakely. "M'Fine, Glim," he said bitterly.

Glimmer looked around the room. "You have everything you need right here. I can stay with you all night if you like-"

"No," Peeta automatically said. "I don't think so, not tonight."

Glimmer, slightly offended, took her hands off his face. "Well, as long as you're perfect for the party tomorrow night," She said with an obnoxious grin.

Peeta leaned back into his pillows. "Everyone out," he commanded with his eyes closed. "Including you," he told Glimmer.

Glimmer stood up, snapping her fingers, and all the servants followed her. "See you tomorrow, babe," She said, blowing him a kiss.

Peeta was finally able to see Katniss, who had just barely began creating a fire. He had seen her make so many fires before, he knew she was taking her careful time.

A peacekeeper began walking towards her. "The President said out," he commanded.

Katniss looked up at the peacekeeper innocently. "But I'm not finished yet," she said, looking at Peeta with a hint of a smile.

Peeta, knowing exactly what she was doing, flicked his hand, showing the peacekeepers away. "I'll dismiss her when the fire is done," he said. With that, the peacekeepers left them alone.

Peeta sighed, relief flooding him as he simply held open his arms as Katniss crossed the room and flung herself into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Are you okay?" She asked him, concern radiating in her voice.

He looked up at her, before pressing his forehead into her neck. She cradled his head in her arms, smoothing back his hair. Peeta began to breathe normally again.

She pulled back, looking at him. "What happened?" She asked him. "Do you really think its pneumonia?"

Peeta leaned back into his pillows again. "I had the dream again, Katniss."

Katniss' stomach churned. "Is this always what happens when you have the dr-"

"No," Peeta stopped her. "Don't do that."

"Don't do what?" Katniss asked with a smile.

"Try to blame yourself for this," Peeta answered, reaching his arm forward and cupping her cheek with his hand. "Something was different about it this time. I woke up screaming and in a sweat."

Katniss remembered all of her post-games dreams where she woke up the same way. Her hand automatically went up to his wrist, holding his hand on her face. "What was different?" She asked him.

"You…" He began. "Your face… it was… well it was covered in blood."

Katniss closed her eyes, remembering when Clove threw the knife at her. She had passed out due to blood loss by the time Peeta woke up. He must have seen her at her bloodiest. She opened her eyes again, looking at him fondly. Not knowing what to say, she smiled and stood up, crossing towards the sink. She filled a bowl with cold water and grabbed a towel. Then, she walked back over towards his bed. She sat on the side, dipping the towel in the water and dabbing it across his forehead. Peeta's eyes closed in relief. "That feels nice," he told her. She dabbed his face, his arms, his hands…

She worked her hands down to his chest, unbuttoning the buttons on his shirt until his torso was exposed. She skimmed her fingers over his body gently, before dabbing the towel lightly all over him.

"Better?" She asked.

"Much," Peeta said, opening his eyes.

Then, Katniss plopped the towel in the bowl and placed it on his nighttable, grabbing the medicine and his cup of water. She fed him the medicinal concoction and handed him the cup.

"This isn't sleep syrup, right?" Peeta asked.

Katniss smelled the empty vile. "It's half sleep syrup, half for the headache. It should help," she told him.

Peeta yawned. "How did you know that?"

Katniss smiled at him, brushing back his hair. "My mother's a healer."

Peeta suddenly sat up, realizing he barely knew anything about her. He looked at her, her dark hair surrounding her face and falling over her slim shoulders. Her blue eyes gazing at him lovingly.

"What does your dad do?" Peeta asked.

Katniss looked down. "He died in a mine explosion in twelve when I was younger."

Peeta looked at her. "I'm sorry," he said, watching her expression.

Katniss looked at the ceiling. "You know, people said that when he sang the birds stopped to listen. You know, the mockingjays… they stopped to listen." Her eyes began to turn red as tears threatened to form. "He taught me everything I know. I had to start providing for my family after he died. My mother really checked out."

Peeta touched her cheek, looking at her red eyes. "Are you crying?" He asked her.

Katniss looked at him. "No!" She said, wiping away a quick tear. "I'm not a big crier. I just don't really talk about my dad is all. It's funny…" she trailed off.

Peeta remembered the girl from the previous night, who wasn't a big crier either. He flicked away the thought in his mind, focusing on Katniss again.

"What's funny?" Peeta asked.

"It's funny that a man bruising me doesn't make me cry, but thinking about my dad and the mockingjays always can," She admitted.

They sat in silence, Peeta feeling his emotions for her grow deeper as she opened up to him.

"Katniss…" He finally whispered, placing his hand on her neck and pulling her forehead into his.

"Yes?" She whispered.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" He asked vulernably.

Without another word, Katniss crawled next to him and tucked herself under the covers. She placed her head on his chest and rested her hand on his stomach. He placed his arm around her, his other hand reaching over and holding the one placed on his stomach.

Katniss remembered being freezing in the cave, and only cuddling for body warmth. She remembered the nights on the train, when he stayed with her to protect her from nightmares. She smiled into his chest.

Peeta felt the familiarity of it as well. Feels like riding a bike he thought to himself. His headache began to slightly throb at that thought, yet the medicine quickly diluted the pain.

The two of them drifted off to sleep.

**LONGEST CHAPTER YET! THE MORE REVIEWS, THE LONGER / SOONER THE CHAPTER WILL GO UP. TOMORROWS THE PARTY, WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN? I DO ;)**


	11. Time

**KEEP REVIEWING!**

Katniss slowly opened her eyes, feeling content. She reflected on the previous night as her mind began to wake. The sun filled the room, making Peeta's master suite sparkle and glow. She took a deep breath, looking up at Peeta, who's arms enclosed her in a warm snuggle. He was still asleep.

Suddenly, reality hit her.

**_The sun is up._**

Katniss quickly flung out of bed, running over to the sink and splashing some water on her face. **_I missed visiting hours. I missed Prim. I haven't missed Prim since-_**

Her thought train was interrupted when she heard Peeta yawn. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up in bed and looking at Katniss, confused. "You wouldn't be sneaking out on me, would you?" he asked quietly.

Katniss sat on the edge of his bed, pulling on her combat boots. "I have work. I was supposed to be up hours ago. Peacekeepers are probably looking everywhere for me."

Peeta placed his hand on her shoulder. "Relax, Katniss."

Katniss stared at him, annoyed. "I can't relax. There are only so many whippings you can get me out of," she snapped. Realizing she was being rude, she continued putting on her shoes. Frustrated, she stopped and took a deep breath.

Peeta took his hand off her shoulder. "You needed sleep," he said quietly.

Katniss looked at him with worried eyes. "You needed sleep," she corrected. "How are you feeling?"

Peeta leaned back into his pillows. "I feel fine. Fine and dandy for the party tonight."

Katniss froze, remembering.

**_Today is Friday. I break Prim out tonight. I leave the capitol tonight… I leave him._**

Putting on a brave face, she looked at him. "I'm sure you'll have loads of fun," she said. "With Glimmer…" She added quietly. She couldn't help herself.

Peeta rolled his eyes at her. "Good thing I'll be wearing a mask."

**_Me too,_** Katniss thought before she could help herself.

They sat in silence for a while, before Katniss tucked her hair behind her ears. She began thinking worriedly about all of the problems lying in front of her. **_How can I leave Peeta without a word? How am I going to get Prim? How can I not be honest with Gale about Peeta? How can I tell Peeta that I am about to lead the opposing force of the impending war against him?_**

"You look lost in thought," Peeta said quietly.

Katniss took a deep breath. "There's something I have to tell you."

Peeta sat up. "Is everything okay?"

Katniss exhaled shakily. "Y-yes… I mean… well I don't know." She squeezed her hands into fists.

Peeta looked at her. "What's on your mind?" he pressed. "Katniss…"

Katniss looked at him, her eyes welling with tears. "I just… I can't… I can't tell you. But I want to… I-" she stammered with worry radiating from her voice.

Peeta put both hands on her face, soothing her. "Shh, shh…" he began. "You can tell me!"

Katniss looked into his eyes, her mouth open. She gaped as she tried to form the words. **_We've known each other for years. We saved each other in two hunger games. Your memories of me were erased. You're from district 12. You've been in love with me since I was young… and by the way, I'm sneaking into your party tonight, breaking out a prisoner, and revealing myself as the symbol of the revolution against your government._**

Suddenly, a knock at the door made them both jump, Peeta quickly removing his hands from her face. "Sir?" Octavia called. "Are you awake?"

Peeta jumped out of bed as Katniss crossed over to his window. "You can't be serious," he whispered as she started unlocking it and opening the panes. They ignored the continuous knocking and proceeded with a quick conversation.

"I can't let them see me here," Katniss said, swinging one leg over. Before leaving, she turned back around and kissed Peeta gently. Peeta held her face.

"When will I see you again?" he asked quietly.

Katniss, flustered, shook her head. "I don't know. I-"

"Come back to the house when the party is over. Say you'll come," Peeta commanded her.

Katniss sighed, her eyes welling with tears. She closed them quickly before he could see, simply nodding _yes_ and swinging her other leg out the window. Knowing this was the last time she would be seeing him as just herself was making her emotional. The next time they would be seeing one another would be as rebel vs. capitalist. Except he didn't know that.

She climbed down, looking up at Peeta from the bottom. "Ill see you tonight," he called down to her in a whisper. She quickly began running towards the servant's quarters to begin her daily duties.

* * *

By 7:30, Katniss was panicking. She was unable to see Prim in the morning because she overslept at Peeta's, and she had no idea as to whether or not Prim knew about the plan. Nonetheless, It was happening tonight. **_It's time._**

She made her way through town to the garage to meet Cinna. The eerie stillness of the capitol gave her shivers. **_They're probably all at the masquerade by now. _**Her heart was full of nervous butterflies.

By the time she got to the garage, Cinna was waiting for her with a full makeover set up. Katniss could see the costume she was going to wear, and her stomach began to churn.

Cinna was going to dress her like a mockingjay.

"You want me to wear a mockingjay costume?" Katniss asked in disbelief. "Won't I be arrested on site?"

Cinna laughed. "The idea of the mockingjay won't be revealed until the end of the party. Then they will all know why you were there… it's for the later impact. For the beginning, you'll just be a beautiful bird. By the end, you'll be long gone, but they'll all know who you were and what you stood for. Beetee's presentation is really amazing."

Katniss nodded, shakily. Cinna gave her quick hug. "Are you ready to work?" He asked her darkly.

She nodded, sitting down in the makeup chair. The process began, feeling all too familiar from when he prepped her for the games. Before she knew it, her hair was curled, hanging loose and down around her shoulders. Her dark, smokey makeup was done, and she was putting on the mockingjay dress. It was black,gray, and white, with feathers falling down from her waist. Two large wings were attached to her arms.

"Now you have real wings," Cinna said to her. "I think my work here is done."

Katniss stared at herself, slightly raising her arms. She took a deep breath. "I wish I could fly away from here," she muttered.

Cinna gave her a reassuring hug. "Don't be afraid," he told her, giving her a sense of deja vu. He held out his hand, offering her a feather mask to place over her eyes.

She took it, and strapped it over her face. "I'm not afraid," she said. With that, They walked hand in hand out of the garage and towards the President's mansion.

**It's almost time! What's going to happen at the party? Will Katniss tell Peeta? Will he recognize her in the costume? Will she get Prim out in time? Will the rebellion begin? Review with thoughts! The more reviews, the more chapters I'll post tonight!**


	12. Masquerade

Katniss met Plutarch at the door of the President's mansion. Her heart fluttered as she thought about seeing Peeta in a matter seconds.

She looked Plutarch up and down. "A black tuxedo with a black mask. Very classic," She snapped at him. For some reason, she was always bitter about Plutarch. He didn't care about her or Peeta or anyone, he only cared about the show. She hated that about him. He wanted what was best for her, but only because what was best for her was best for the camera.

"You ready, Mockingjay?" Plutarch asked her, offering his arm.

Katniss pressed her mask into her face, reassuring herself that she wouldn't be recognized. "Now or never," She said, letting go of Cinna's hand and wrapping her arm through Plutarch's. Cinna quickly kissed her cheek before putting on his mask.

"Lets go," Plutarch said. Katniss took a deep breath and walked into the party.

Practically a palace, the President's mansion was lit up, with fire breathers, circus dancers, and men on stilts. People were dressed eccentrically, filling the space with color and outrageous materials to add to their costumes. Everyone was in masks, but it was easy to tell who was who.

Katniss immediately sought out Peeta, yet she couldn't find his particular shade of blonde through the crowd. As she scanned the room, she finally noticed that everyone was staring at her. The whole party had froze. She stood still, breathing, before Plutarch stretched out her hand, leading her down the stairs and showcasing her giant mockingjay wings. **_Dammit, Plutarch,_** Katniss thought as she walked down the stairs. She could hear the people gasping at her wings. She slowly moved her arms down, taking his arm again. "Nice touch," she whispered to him.

"You needed to make an entrance," He whispered back. "Lets dance."

The party began to get into swing again, as Plutarch and Katniss lined up for the couples waltz. Slowly dancing together at the beginning, Plutarch leaned close enough for Katniss to hear what he was mumbling.

"Masks come off at midnight. Beetee's presentation is at 12:30. That's when you should get to the prison. The hovercraft will get us in the tribute parade center at 1. Don't be late," He added, before the partners rotated.

* * *

Peeta gaped at the beautiful bird walking down the stairs. He pressed his mask to his face, feeling the coolness of the silver against his cheeks. His mask covered half his face, (A/N like the phantom of the opera), with the rest of his face exposed. His hair slicked back, his simple black and white tux started to feel constricting. His eyes followed the bird down the stairs, with his cheeks slightly flushing. Watching her cross to the dance floor, he quickly grabbed the hand of who was obviously Glimmer. "Shall we?" He asked her, sweeping his black cape behind his back. Glimmer giggled from behind her mask as she walked with him to the dance floor.

"I do have a boyfriend, you know," she told him as they lined up.

"Oh really?" Peeta asked, nonchalantly as the waltz began. He kept his eyes on the bird as they danced.

"Really!" Glimmer continued. "It's the President, he's practically in love with me."

"I'll make sure not to get in his way, then," Peeta said smoothly as the partners rotated.

He continued dancing with strangers until finally, he stood behind the bird, holding the back of her waist as they began to spin.

"Nice costume," he said.

Katniss, unable to see her partner, continued dancing. "Thanks…" she said. "You too…" she drifted off as he spun her around.

Katniss looked upon the half of Peeta's face that she could see. She knew it was him, she could tell by his eyes, his jaw… Her heart clenched as he held her hand, gliding her around the dance floor.

"Some party, huh?" Peeta continued asking her. "I heard the President went all out for it."

Katniss smiled at him. "Really?" She asked, casually. "I don't think he's really into these kinds of things."

Her partner laughed. "Do you know him personally?" Their eyes locked, as she curtsied and he bowed.

"You could say that," she said very slowly, as her eyes bore into his from behind her mask.

Before Peeta could respond, her next partner stepped in, whisking her away. She continued looking at him as he automatically began dancing with the next girl who was switched in.

Katniss could smell the cologne of Cato as he spun her around. She looked at him, his mask resembling the face of the devil.

"You're the most beautiful girl here," He sneered at her.

"I'm wearing a mask," She said as she continued dancing. "How could you know?"

Before she knew it, Cato was spinning her into the middle of the dance floor, stopping to dip her dramatically in front of the crowd. Katniss, reminding herself that she wasn't allowed to punch him, placed her hand behind his neck, letting herself dip. "You're body is beautiful enough," Cato sneered at her, bringing her up slowly.

Suddenly, Peeta, his mask giving him a face of determination and his cape flaring out behind him, stepped into the center, grabbing Katniss' hand and spinning her into him. Katniss gasped, as she looked upon half of Peeta's face, who grinned at her.

"Can't wait your turn?" She asked him, flirtatiously,

Cato backed away as Katniss and Peeta flawlessly danced, doing the steps from the waltz they performed at President Snow's victory ball so many years ago.

"Can't let me lead?" Peeta challenged, his cape swinging behind him as he danced with her. Suddenly, he lifted her, and Katniss stretched her arms wide, letting her wings span out. The crowd began to 'ooh' and 'ah'.

Katniss' heart fluttered as they finished the dance, receiving a round of applause from the audience who had cleared the dance floor and circled around them. She curtsied, and he bowed, before they began to clap for the musicians.

He offered her his arm, and she took it, allowing him to lead her off the dance floor. As she passed Plutarch, she whispered in his ear: "How's that for making an entrance?"

Plutarch smiled. "You're doing great, kid."

Peeta ushered her over to the bar, getting them two champagnes. "Cheers," Peeta said, raising his glass.

Katniss' eyes bore through her mask and his as she raised her glass as well. "To an unforgettable night." She smiled to herself at the irony.

They clinked and took a sip. Peeta smiled at her. "Did I miss something?" he asked, clearly recognizing the look on her face.

Katniss looked up at him. "No…" she started, flustered. Then she smiled. "This is good champagne, that's all."

Peeta smiled at her. "I prefer something a little stronger myself."

She looked at him mischievously. "Ah, how typical. Already trying to get me drunk."

Peeta smiled, a naughty grin spreading across his face. "Who said anything about me giving you another drink?"

"Who says I can't get myself a drink?" She asked. "Maybe I'll just get you one."

Peeta's blood lit on fire, the attraction burning through his skin. He smiled, placing his hand on her back and guiding her over to a bench underneath a tree. They sat together, drinking champagne, laughing, and talking effortlessly. Time began to escape them.

Peeta looked at her, pressing his hand to his mask. "You seem so familiar to me," he said, smiling and looking down.

Katniss smiled. "Maybe you met me in a dream once," she said, inwardly churning at the irony. **_Particularly, the dream where you're dying and I'm covered in blood. The dream that's actually a memory. Ha._**

Peeta, normally Mr. Conversation, drew a blank at what to say next. Her voice seemed so familiar, yet he was buzzed, and he couldn't quite peg it. "I feel like you know who I am," he admitted, quietly.

Katniss laughed. "You don't recognize me? That night we spent together was so special, you really know how to turn me on…" She saw half his face turn red with embarrassment. "I'm kidding," she laughed.

"You know how to make a man's heart stop, don't you?" He laughed, breathlessly.

"Had a lot of one night stands, lately?" She asked him.

"That's a conversation for another time," He told her, finishing the rest of his champagne. Katniss' eyes bulged quickly as she remembered.

**_Time._**

Katniss' eyes snapped towards the clock, her breathing becoming labored as she realized it was 11:45.

Peeta watched her, concerned. "Time flies, huh?" He asked, placing his hand on her shoulder, attempting to calm her down. "Are you okay?"

Katniss' head flew towards his, snapping back to reality. "Yes," she smiled breathlessly. "Just lost track of the time, that's all."

He smiled at her. "Masks come off at midnight, you know. That's when the party will really start."

Katniss laughed out loud, realizing how ironic it was that he just said that. "Yes, you're right," she continued laughing.

Peeta gaped at her, confused. "How about another dance?" He asked.

Katniss stood up, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor. They began to move together, One of her hands on his shoulder and the other in his hand.

Peeta stared at her. "I've had too much to drink. I know that I know you. I feel like I've known you for years."

Katniss looked down. "You have," she told him. **_Might as well be honest. You're probably never going to see him again after tonight._**

"Can you give me some hints?" He asked her as they whirled around.

Katniss smiled. "Why don't you ask me some questions?"

"Okay…" Peeta began. "Where was the first place we met?"

**_District 12 when you saved me from starving._**

"You're office," Katniss said, banishing her original thought. "I was hurt, you fixed me."

Peeta's face changed, as he began to rack his brain for a memory. "When was the last time I saw you?"

"Today," Katniss answered automatically.

Peeta gaped at her, as he spun her into his arms. "I saw you today?" Wow…"

"I'm almost offended that you can't recognize me," Katniss added with a smirk.

Suddenly, Peeta's head began to ache. He stopped dancing.

"Are you okay?" Katniss said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Just a headache. I get them pretty frequently…" Peeta trailed off, looking at his dance partner intently.

They stared at each other for a moment, before Katniss took his hand and led him back over to their private tree. She sat down on the bench as Peeta began to pace in front of her, placing his hands on his temples.

"How often do you get your headaches?" Katniss asked, already knowing the answer. **_He get's them when he sees me._**

Ignoring her, Peeta stopped pacing and looked down. "I forget, what is your costume again? What kind of bird?" Peeta asked her urgently, breathing heavily.

Suddenly, the clock began to chime. Katniss stood up from the bench, speaking clearly over the chimes.

"I'm a mockingjay," She said, confidently.

Peeta's head split with pain as he remembered sitting with Katniss on his bed the previous night.

_"People said that when he sang the birds stopped to listen. You know, the mockingjays… they stopped to listen…_ _thinking about my dad and the mockingjays always can make me cry…"_

Walking towards her, he slowly began to lift up her mask.

**What will happen?! REVIEW! I'd love to hear your thoughts. This is hefty chapter, I hope you like it! Maybe another one will go up tonight, I don't know if I can leave you all hanging ;)**


	13. Escape

**Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! The big reveal, the breakout... What will happen? Also, to my old followers, I made a revision to chapter 4, candlelight. It's not that different, but I made it a little more in tune with the plotline. Feel free to reread! OTHERWISE, DIVE IN!**

Katniss looked at Peeta through her mask, feeling tingles where his fingertips grazed against her face. Her heart began to pound as he began to lift the mask off her face.

"Don't," she breathed.

Peeta stopped. "You've already told me who you are. I know who you are, Katniss."

With that, he lifted off her mask before she could protest, and aggressively pushed her back against the tree and kissed her passionately.

Katniss groaned in pleasure, grabbing his mask and flinging it off his face and to the ground. She took fistfuls of his hair and pressed her body against his as they kissed. Peeta bent slightly, moving from her mouth to lightly suck on her neck. His hands grazed her thighs, and Katniss responded by slightly jumping and wrapping both of her legs around him. Peeta held up her legs with his hands, pressing her against the tree. He continued kissing her neck, her chest… any part of her that he could. They lost themselves in each other, like they did the other day in his office.

Katniss was gasping for air as pleasure shot through her body. Her chest and stomach became hot, the heat spreading down to in between her legs. Peeta grunted roughly as she arched into him.

Then, suddenly, they both heard a crack of thunder. Katniss unwrapped her legs, standing up straight, attempting to break the kiss. Peeta leaned into her. "Ignore it," he whispered roughly, kissing her again. Katniss responded hungrily for a moment before lightly pushing him away, her expression pained.

**_It's time to go get Prim. _**

Her eyes welled with tears. "I have to go," she said, placing her hands on his shoulders and her head against his chest.

"What?" Peeta exclaimed. "No, I can't let you leave."

"I really have to go," She said again, pushing him away slightly. "I have somewhere I need to be."

"Let me come with you," he said.

Katniss closed her eyes. "You can't," she said, a single tear falling down her face.

Peeta stepped closer to her, wiping her tear and placing his hands on her face. She held his wrists. "Why not?" He asked darkly.

Katniss opened her eyes and bore them into his. "Because then you'll find out who I really am. What I'm really doing here."

Peeta took a deep breath. "The way I feel about you won't change. I've never felt this way about anyone. I don't know how this could happen, I mean we've only met a couple times…" he trailed off towards the end as he watched another tear fall down Katniss' face as he mentioned only knowing her a few times. "I want to know you. I want to know all of you."

Katniss placed her hands on his face.

**_Well, we're probably both going to die eventually, right?_**

"Do you promise to go when I tell you to go?" She asked him, earnestly.

"Who's the servant now?" Peeta asked her.

"Dammit, I'm serious!" She exclaimed, her grip on his face tightening. "Promise me!" She commanded.

Peeta looked at her, confused. "I promise," he said. "Hurry, lets go."

Katniss grabbed his hand and pulled him away, and before she knew it she was running with him, away from the President's mansion, through town, and into the capitol building. Finally, she stopped in front of the prison entrance.

Peeta, out of breath, looked at her. "Katniss…" he breathed. "What are we doing here?"

Katniss walked over to the flower pot where Haymitch told her he had hidden the keys. Without saying a word, she grabbed the keys and unlocked the prison door.

"Katniss…" Peeta began sternly.

He followed her as she strolled into the prison like it was a second home. Peeta looked around him, astonished at the condition. Freezing cold, stone walls, decrepit and bitter. No one deserved to be treated like this. **_How did I not know that this was the condition of the prisons?_** He gaped as he took in the scenery. His eyes snapped over to Katniss, who had knelt down in front of a prison cell. "Katniss!" He whispered, slightly worried about what she was doing. He maintained a distance from the cell she was near, watching her call into the darkness.

"Prim!" She whispered into the dark cell. "Prim!" she called again, before Prim's innocent face came into the light.

"Katniss?" Prim asked quietly. "What are you doing here? What's going on?" Prim yawned.

Katniss fiddled with the key, opening the door to her cell. Peeta's eyes bulged out of his head as he heard her say "I'm getting you out of here."

Peeta looked around worriedly. "Katniss, what the hell are you doing?!" He whispered to her.

Katniss continued to ignore him, smoothing Prim's hair as Prim's eyes began to well up with nervous tears.

Prim began to breathe heavily. "What about Snow?" She asked Katniss.

Katniss smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry about Snow," she consoled her little sister. "I told you I would always protect you." Prim's eyes slowly wandered over to Peeta, and she gasped when she saw his face.

Peeta gaped as Prim looked over at him. "Katniss," Prim began to say, "Is that-"

"Yes," Katniss finished for her. "He doesn't know everything yet but, yes it's really him."

"I'm sorry," Peeta choked out. "Have we met before?" Suddenly, his head began to ache with pain. "Katniss…" he gasped.

Katniss grabbed Prim's hand, tugging her over towards Peeta. She used her other free hand to touch his face. She pulled out a vile from her dress. "I knew this was going to happen tonight. Drink this," She commanded.

Peeta took the drink in a single gulp, his headache instantly releasing. "What is going on," he insisted of her, not phrasing it like a question.

Katniss grabbed his hand, tugging him out the door, with Prim holding her other hand with both of hers.

As they hurried out the prison door and into the darkness of the night, Peeta continued to attempt to ask her about what was happening. Katniss refused to let go of his hand, tears free falling down her face as they walked briskly towards the tribute parade center.

"What time is it?" She asked Peeta quickly.

"That's all you have to say?!" Peeta exclaimed angrily. "You have some serious explaining to do-"

"What. Time. Is. It?!" Katniss yelled, revealing her tear streaked face as they continued walking. Her grip on his hand automatically tightened as he looked at her.

Peeta broke her gaze to quickly look at his watch. "12:55."

Katniss gasped, pulling them faster. "We have to keep moving," She tugged. "Please," she begged him.

Peeta, exasperated, picked up Prim and placed her on his back. Prim wrapped her arms around his neck and him and Katniss began to sprint ahead towards the tribute parade center.

Finally, they arrived there.

"Did we miss it?" Katniss choked out, out of breath.

Peeta placed Prim down. "Miss what, what are you-what are you talking about?" He grabbed Katniss' face. "Katniss, tell me what's going on. Who is she?!" He asked, leaning his head towards Prim.

"She's my little sister. She was taken prisoner by the capitol five years ago," Katniss admitted.

"Don't you say another word, Katniss," Haymitch's familiar voice called from behind them.

"Haymitch?!" Peeta yelled. "Okay, someone please explain to me what is going on!"

A loud clap of thunder made everyone jump again, as it began to rain lightly.

"Great," Haymitch said, lifting his hands to the sky. Just what we need."

Suddenly, Peeta's phone began to ring. He answered it slowly. "Octavia? What's going-…" he trailed off as his eyes locked with Katniss'. Another tear fell down her face.

**_Beetee's light altercation. He knows about the rebels. He know's I'm the mockingjay. _**

Peeta quickly snapped his phone shut. "There's a warrant out for the mockingjay's arrest. The mockingjay that was at the masquerade, the… the symbol of the rebellion?! The mockingjay symbol that ended the rebel hijack at the party… The mockingjay…" He began to breathe deeply as he looked at Katniss. "No…" he gasped, backing away from her slightly.

Katniss began to bawl. "Peeta, please, I have so much I need to tell you-" she said, reaching towards his face.

"You're with the rebels?! You lied to me!" Peeta exclaimed, pushing her hands away. "I should have known. Is that what you were trying to tell me this morning?!"

"This morning?!" Haymitch asked. "What is he talking about?!"

"Yes, this morning," Peeta sneered, "After Katniss slept over." His chest was heaving with anger.

"Katniss, what were you thinking?!" Haymitch exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "We told you to keep him in the dark-"

"Hey, back off her," Peeta said, knocking Haymitch's hands off Katniss' shoulders. "Keep me in the dark about what?" He said, looking at Katniss again.

The rain was pouring on their heads, making Katniss shiver from the cold. She looked at Haymitch desperately. "We have to take him," she pleaded.

"No," Haymitch said, shaking his head before she could finish. "I told you it's too risky-"

"It's more risky if he stays here, he comes," Plutarch said, coming up behind them. He waved his hands and a hovercraft began to land next to them.

Peeta began to back away. "Take me?" he said, looking at Katniss. "Where are you going?! What's going on- someone please tell me!" He pleaded.

Suddenly, it began to thunder and pour. Prim and Plutarch climbed into the hovercraft. "Hurry, Katniss!" Prim called.

Peacekeepers began running towards them, Katniss gasping for air as she flickered back between all of the people. Without thinking, she grabbed Peeta's face and planted a kiss on him.

Then, Haymitch punched Peeta in the head, knocking him unconscious. Katniss began to yell at him, alarmed, but then realized that Haymitch was picking Peeta up, placing him over his shoulder, and climbing into the hovercraft. Katniss followed after him, slightly relieved, and the hovercraft locked them in safely, with the peacekeepers left to shoot at them from the ground. The hovercraft zoomed away, taking them to the safety of district 13.

**_We just kidnapped the President_**, Katniss thought to herself. **_The rebellion has begun._**

**What did you all think?! Review so I know if you liked it or not! There's still so much to come, the rebellion has just gotten started. Will Peeta learn about the hunger games? Will the rebels take over? Stay tuned! xoxo DLL**


	14. Faith

**ACT II: The rebellion**

**Thanks to all the followers and comments! I love hearing your thoughts :) This is a short chapter, but more will be up later. **

Katniss strapped an unconscious Peeta into the hovercraft, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Take a deep breath, sweetheart. He's here, okay?" Haymitch said, slightly annoyed. Prim walked over to Katniss, who was struggling with the last buckle around Peeta's chest. She gently touched Katniss' shoulders and pulled her away, buckling Peeta in easily as Katniss began breathing normally again.

Plutarch strode over, plunging a syringe into Peeta's arm, causing Katniss to thrash out again.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She said, pushing Plutarch away.

"It's just a sedative," Plutarch explained. "He needs to be out for a day or two. I don't want him causing a fuss when we get to thirteen. Plus, I need you to focus."

"You… heartless-" Katniss began, her eyes welling with tears.

"Katnip?"

Katniss whirled around at the familiar voice that she unconsciously missed. She flung herself into the arms of Gale, who held her close. "Take a deep breath," he whispered. "We're all safe."

Katniss looked up at him, before turning around and counting. **_Haymitch, Prim, Plutarch, Peeta, Gale…_** "Where is Cinna?" She demanded quietly.

Plutarch shook his head. "Taken care of. He's already on his way to 13, he wanted to be there when you got there. He assumed you would be in this… well this emotional state," he said with a slight smile.

"Easy," Gale threatened, throwing a dark look at Plutarch.

Katniss, ignoring Plutarch's comment, sunk quietly to the floor, breathing deeply.

"She's in shock," She heard Prim say quietly. Katniss felt her hand on her shoulder and she grabbed it tightly, staring into space.

Prim placed her hands on her sister's face. "Katniss?" She asked, looking into her eyes. "We're all okay, and Peeta's here. Everything is going to be okay."

Katniss took a deep breath, nodding slightly. "Can I have a minute, please?" she asked, standing up shakily and walking towards where Peeta was. She sat down next to him, exhaling loudly with her eyes fluttering shut.

Haymitch tilted his head, referencing everyone to the front of the hovercraft. Katniss kept her eyes closed, but heard the footsteps of everyone leaving. Finally, the door to the front of the hovercraft opened and sealed shut, leaving her alone.

She opened her eyes and gazed at Peeta, who looked peaceful enough to be sleeping. Stroking his hair, she leaned down towards him. "I'm so sorry," she whispered quietly. "I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry…"

Sometime later, the door to the front of the hovercraft swung open, and Katniss strolled in. Gale was sitting on the side with Prim, his arm protectively around her, while Haymitch and Plutarch sat at a table with loads of papers on top of it. Their eyes all flickered to her, as she clearly interrupted some busy planning.

"How long till we get to 13?" Katniss muttered darkly, crossing over to Prim.

"Couple hours," Plutarch responded.

"Probably best that we got out early. The capitol is probably in chaos, but I'm sure they'll be sending hovercrafts out in a little while to start looking for us," Haymitch explained.

Katniss sat down next to Prim, leaning forward and placing her elbows on top her knees and folding her hands. "Will they be able to find us?" She asked, anxiously.

Plutarch shook his head. "13 is completely underground," he told her. "It hasn't existed for years… They won't find it overnight."

Katniss nodded shakily. "What's the next plan?" She demanded of them.

Haymitch began shaking his head. "Don't think about that now. You need to get some rest-"

"We get a handle on how the capitol is responding. Beetee is tapping into their military database to get an idea of how they're choosing to proceed," Plutarch interjected.

Haymitch rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed at Plutarch's response.

"It's okay, Haymitch," Katniss said, looking at him. "I need to know these things…" then she looked back to Plutarch. "Do you think they might collapse without a President?"

Plutarch laughed. "They've always had a President. Snow has been watching in the shadows for weeks now."

Katniss bent her eyebrows. "Snow? What about Peeta?"

Plutarch shook his head. "Katniss, Peeta was never the President. He was a pawn… he was only there for show. Snow has been in command secretly since Peeta took office. All of Peeta's orders went through Snow before they were processed."

Katniss laughed, darkly. "And Peeta just never found out?"

Plutarch rolled his eyes. "This game has been thought through to the most miniscule detail. Peeta would _never_ have found out."

Katniss sighed, realizing that she had more to tell them. She closed her eyes. "He's been having memories," she admitted.

Haymitch's eyes bulged, before he rushed over to her and knelt in front of her. "Katniss-" he began slowly.

"I mean it," Katniss snapped. "Every time he sees me doing something familiar he gets a headache. One time it was so severe he collapsed... And he's been having strange dreams…" she trailed off. "But they're memories of the games. He thinks they're nightmares."

Haymitch gasped, and looked at Plutarch slowly. "Is it possible?"

Plutarch shrugged. "It's happened a handful of times. Technically, emotions never can physically leave the body. What he feels will never escape."

"Maybe… the more he sees you…the more he remembers," Prim said quietly. "I read about that in that book."

"What book?" Haymitch asked her.

"The one about hijacking," Prim explained. "Before they took me… extreme emotional connection can be restored. It's just like what Plutarch said, it can never leave the body… it's inside him somewhere. The headaches are from the hijacking, it's his body attempting to fight off the memories that are coming back…" she trailed off, taking Katniss' hand. "He's remembering, Katniss."

Haymitch sighed again, touching Katniss' face gently.

Prim looked at Plutarch. "There's a drink that might help with the memories. Some mixture of mint juice and morphling or something. And he'll have to do extensive therapy… we need to show him who he was before the hijacking… but I think it's possible."

The room fell silent. Katniss could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, and she wondered if anyone else could see it.

"Plus," Prim added quietly. "There's always the chance of achieving personal connection with someone. The memories apparently just… well they come back."

"Isn't that just urban legend?" Gale snapped. He had been so quiet, Katniss had almost forgotten he was there.

"I'm willing to believe anything if it means saving Peeta from himself," Prim said defiantly. She looked around the room at the group of still faces. "What's happened to you guys? Where is your faith?" She asked slowly, disappointment dripping from her voice. "There was never a moment when Peeta didn't have faith in you. Even you, Gale," She sneered his name.

"C'mon Prim, you don't even know him," Gale snapped.

Prim stared at him. "I know enough to know that he doesn't deserve this from any of you. I know that he's only done good things for my family, he's only ever been kind to all of us. Even just now, when I got tired from running, he carried me. He didn't even know me…" she trailed off. "He still wanted to help me. He remembers _something,"_ she finished, quietly.

She stood up and looked at Katniss, leaning over and handing her the mockingjay pin. "You told me never to doubt you. Do you doubt me? Would you doubt Peeta?"

Katniss sighed, realizing Prim was right. She stood up slowly and looked at Plutarch, gripping Prim's hand. "As soon as we get back to 13, I want a group of medics analyzing him. I want data. I want research done to find reviews of hijack recoveries. I want _something._"

Plutarch looked at her, exasperated.

"See to it, Plutarch," Katniss muttered, taking Prim out of the room. She threw a glance over her shoulder. "Or you can find yourself another mockingjay."

**Ooh la la! Katniss making some demands! What will happen when Peeta wakes up? Will he ever fully recover? What is it going to be like with Gale now that Katniss has fallen back in love with Peeta? What will the prep be like for the war? Comment your thoughts :) XOXO DLL**


	15. Conversations

**Another chapter will go up tonight! :)**

Peeta slowly opened his eyes, initially blinded by the florescent hospital lights. He quickly closed them and took a deep breath. Then he opened them again, taking in the view around him.

He was in something like a hospital, lying in a bed, with IV's and wires hooking him up to surrounding machines. He wore a grey tee shirt with matching gray pants, something like a uniform. His head began to pound as he remembered being punched by Haymitch…

**_Haymitch punched me. He knocked me out. Where the hell am I._**

Suddenly bolting upright, he thrashed backwards as he realized his arms were strapped to the bed. Breathing heavily due to frusturation, he noticed a girl leaning on her hands at the end of his bed. Dark, thick, wavy hair.

**_Katniss._**

He leaned back in his pillows, slightly relaxing. He stared at her hair before closing his eyes again. **_She betrayed you,_** he reminded himself, his stomach churning.

Katniss suddenly sat up straight with a gasp for air. Her eyes quickly scanned the room, flickering up and down Peeta's body before realizing he was awake. She stared at his face before he opened his eyes and looked at her.

Taking a deep breath, she stood up, and slowly walked closer to him, attempting to ignore the hateful look in his eyes. "Hey," She said, reaching for his face. His slight move of his head paused her hand midair, and she brought it back to her body, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "It's good to see you awake," she said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

Peeta took a deep breath. "My head hurts," he muttered.

Katniss sighed. "I can get some healers to give you something-"

"Where the hell am I?' Peeta stated, not phrasing it like a question. "What happened? How long have I been-"

"Only a day," Katniss muttered, looking down.

"Did you sedate me?!" Peeta exclaimed.

"We didn't want you to panick-" Kaniss started.

Peeta laughed bitterly. "Great," he snapped. "Lets just confuse me more. We've had so much fun with it already."

"It's not like that," Katniss whispered, sitting down next to his bedside.

Peeta looked at her. "Then tell me, what is it like?"

Katniss took a deep breath. "There's so much… I-I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but I couldn't. I'm so sorry."

Peeta rolled his eyes at her. She ignored him and kept going. "I know you're angry with me, and I don't blame you-"

"You're not answering my question," Peeta interrupted.

Suddenly, Haymitch opened the door. Peeta thrashed against his arm straps, attempting to get out of bed. **_Probably to hit him_**, Katniss thought.

"Morning, sunshine," Haymitch said bitterly. "Got some questions? I'll tell you anything you want to know, but the cuffs stay on."

Peeta clenched his fists. "Where am I," he muttered.

Katniss sat down and took a deep breath, pleading at Haymitch.

Haymitch strolled in front of Peeta's bed, pacing in front of him as he explained. "You're in district 13. You've been here for 30 hours as of Saturday morning at 5 AM when we arrived and placed you in this secure bunker-"

"Enough of the military talk Haymitch, he's not an idiot," Katniss snapped at him.

Haymitch ignored her and continued. "You should also know that you're not going anywhere anytime soon."

Peeta glared at him darkly. "Are you going to torture me?" He asked casually.

"Of course not, don't be morbid," Haymitch sneered. "We're going to save you."

"Save _me?_" Peeta asked incredulously. "This is good. How are _you_ going to save _me_?"

Katniss stood up as Haymitch continued. "Peeta, do you remember the 74th hunger games?"

Peeta racked his brain, drawing a blank. He made a rude face, watching Haymitch as he paced in front of him. "Must have been a boring year," was all he could come up with.

"And, how about the 75th?" Haymitch pressed. "Do you remember the third quarter quell? Where were you? Did you watch?"

Peeta rolled his eyes. "I don't remember every single victor in every single hunger games, no one does."

Haymitch slapped his hands on the bed, causing Peeta and Katniss to jump. "I didn't ask you that. I asked if you remembered anything about the games. _Anything_ at all," he said slowly.

Peeta began breathing deeply, as his head began to pound. He tried moving his hand to his temple, but the straps held him down. "I-… I-…" he stammered, confused. **_Where was I during those games?_**

Frustrated, he looked at Haymitch. "I thought I was the one getting some answers…" he choked out over his excruciating headache.

Katniss looked at Haymitch worriedly. "Are you having one of those headaches again, Mr. President?" Haymitch asked.

Peeta snapped his head towards Katniss. "You told him?!"

Katniss' eyes filled with worry, tears threatening to form.

Haymitch intervened. "Hey!" he yelled, getting Peeta's attention. "Don't look at her, look at me. Katniss you better go."

"No!" Peeta commanded. "She doesn't go anywhere. Not until I get some answers," he looked at Katniss angrily. "What happened Friday night." Haymitch opened his mouth to speak, but Peeta cut him off. "I was asking her," he snapped at him.

Katniss took a deep breath. "My sister Prim was being held prisoner by President Snow because of me. It was time to break her out."

Peeta looked at her, confused. "What do you mean, because of you… are you some sort of criminal? Jesus…" he trailed off, attempting to banish any romantic feelings for her away forever.

Katniss' eyes turned defiant. "I'm not a criminal. I'm a victor."

Peeta gaped at her. "A victor of the games? Which year?"

Katniss sat down on his bed. "74 and 75. I competed in the 74th hunger games when my sister was reaped. I volunteered to take her place. Then I competed in the quell when the tributes were reaped from previous victors. It was Snow's way of getting back at me. He wanted to kill me so he organized the quell so that I would have to compete," she stated clearly.

Peeta's head began to throb in pain, causing him to cry out slightly. "Katniss…" he choked. He kept his eyes shut tight as he heard someone walk around towards one the machines, feeling the relief of the new medicine seeping through his head, diluting the pain. He opened his eyes, and saw Haymitch looking at him, concerned.

"You think Snow has some personal vendetta against you?" Peeta muttered, attempting to distract them from what had just happened. "Have you met him? He's like a grandpa-"

"Don't pretend you haven't seen the coldness in his eyes," Katniss commanded powerfully. "He was angry with me after the 74th games because the way I won began sparking some rebellion in the districts. He viewed me as a threat."

"You survived two hunger games?" Peeta asked in disbelief. "How did you pull that off? I should have known you were a cold blooded murder-"

"Actually, you survived two hunger games too," Haymitch interrupted.

Katniss walked over and pushed Haymitch back. "Jesus Haymitch, be a little more subtle. He wasn't ready to hear that yet-"

"I'm sorry Miss Oh so powerful victor, you were the one rambling on about the games-"

"I was explaining to him my circumstances. Don't act like you-"

"Hello!" Peeta yelled, grabbing both of their attention. "what do you mean, I survived too?" He asked slowly.

Haymitch stepped over to his bed and hovered over him. "I need you to listen very closely, Peeta. I'm going to tell you something now that might cause you some pain. You're not going to believe me at first, but we're going to convince you. We have proof," He explained carefully.

Peeta took a deep breath, suddenly feeling nervous. "Tell me what…"

Haymitch looked at him. "Have you ever heard of hijacking?"

**Keep reviewing! I love the support, it keeps me going! I'm so glad you like it so far! Just wait, the drama that's coming is going to blow your minds :)**


	16. Reminding

Peeta breathed in deeply. "Let me get this straight. You're saying that I was kidnapped by the capitol, hijacked to forget all of my memories of the games, and made to be the new President… by Snow, to show the people of the districts which side I really stand for?"

Katniss and Haymitch looked at him, gasping as he started to laugh manically.

"You can't be serious," Peeta told them. "That's the worst story I've ever heard. Haymitch, you really need to work on your manipulation skills."

Haymitch threw his hands in the air. "I told you," he said, looking at a confused Katniss.

"I mean the creativity of it is astounding," Peeta continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Katniss, you're manipulation was spot on. I mean the kissing, the stories… I mean w-o-w, you really played your part didn't you?" He asked bitterly.

Suddenly the door opened, and a small girl walked in. She opened the door, allowing Katniss and Haymitch to walk out. She closed it, leaving the two of them alone.

"Hello, Peeta," the girl said meekly. "Do you remember who I am?"

Suddenly, Peeta's head began to throb as images flickered through his mind like an old movie.

**_Playing in the meadow. Baking cookies. Riding bikes through the ashy streets…_**

"Delly?" He asked, quietly. "Is your name Delly?"

She sat down next to him. "Yes Peeta, I'm Delly Cartwright. We were friends growing up together, you remember how we used to play together?"

Peeta looked at her, suddenly feeling a huge sense of trust. "I…I don't know… where did we grow up?" Images played through the front of his head once again.

**_Darkness. Ashes. Poverty._** **_Peacekeepers. Electric wires enclosing in a small town._**

"You're from district 12, Peeta, that's where we grew up…" She trailed off. "Your parents owned a bakery."

Peeta's stomach began to churn, suddenly realizing that there was some truth to her words. His rational mind begged to disagree with her, but her sincere voice brought back some memories of old times. **_I do remember Delly. I do remember the bakery._**

Delly pulled some photographs out of her pocket. "This is us in front of the bakery," she explained. Peeta's fingers trailed over the small boy, dressed in a tee shirt and overalls; he smiled happily on the porch. His eyes, his jaw… It was undoubtedly him. He gasped.

"And this the day of the music assembly… This is our entire class, those were some of your friends," she said pointing to some other boys.

Peeta's heart stopped when he scanned the picture, a specific figure standing out from all the rest.

A small girl, with two dark braids, wearing a small red plaid dress. **_It was Katniss._**

Suddenly his head thrashed with pain, as more scenes played in his head.

**"****_Who knows the valley song?" Her hand flying straight up in the air. Her singing in front of the grade. 'Deep in the meadow, under the willow'… watching her walk home for the first time._**

He shut his eyes tight, willing the pain to go away.

"I'm sorry Peeta, I know this is painful," Delly whispered.

He cringed his face. "Why-is-it-" he choked out.

"It's your body fighting the memories. It's the hijacking. You get the headaches when you start to remember things about Katniss."

Hearing her name made his eyes snap open. He looked at Delly nervously. "All those times… when-"

"When your head would start to pound? When you watched build a fire… or noticed one of her scars… or kissed her?" Delly started. "Didn't you ever feel a sense of déjà vu?"

Peeta released the breath he was holding. "Yes," he admitted, his eyes welling with small tears. "Constantly," he said, defeated. "I just can't believe all of this though-"

"I know it's a lot to take on," Delly soothed him. "But Haymitch is telling the truth. The capitol played the world's best trick on you."

Peeta let a tear fall down his face. "I feel, so-…" he trailed off, not able to form his words. "Why didn't anyone try to tell me sooner?"

Delly looked at him. "She wanted to, we all did, but Snow made it impossible to reach you when he declared you President. You had guards around you at all times. They kept Katniss away from you for five years in hopes that the hijacking would truly work."

"But it didn't?" Peeta asked her.

"You started to remember the first time you got the headache in your office. When you fell unconscious, do you remember that?" She asked him meekly.

Peeta closed his eyes, embarrassed. "Yes," He admitted. **_This is all making sense._** "I was watching her tie her shoes, and then she tucked her hair behind her ears. And then…"

"What?" Delly pressed.

"And then I saw some scars on her knuckles. Like big round circles," He said, looking at her.

Delly smiled at him. "Those are from the first hunger games, Peeta, when the tracker jackers bit her."

Peeta felt a thrash of pain again.

**_Watching her in the tree. Hearing the careers laugh. The tracker jackers collapsing to the ground. Getting stabbed in the leg._**

"Did she try to kill me?" He asked Delly quietly.

"She thought you were with a group of tributes that were after her. You were secretly with them because… well you were trying to protect her. Another tribute stabbed you in the leg with a poison blade. You have a scar from it, don't you?"

Peeta shut his eyes again, another single tear falling slowly. "Yes," he breathed, absent mindedly touching the long scar on his right leg. "I forgot what it was from," he admitted.

"You didn't forget," Delly told him. "That memory was taken from you," she whispered.

He opened his eyes again. "Tell me more about those games," he commanded.

Delly took a deep breath. "Eventually Katniss found you. You were dying from blood poisoning. She nursed you back to health."

Again, another round of images. Another round of pain.

**_The cave. The darkness. Kissing. The sleep potion._**

"She gave you sleep potion," Delly answered before he could ask. "The gamemakers put your medicine in the cornucopia, but you couldn't walk. You didn't want her to go since the other tributes were still out there, so she drugged you in order to leave and get the medicine for you. She got cut pretty badly, and she lost a lot of blood. Right before she passed out, she injected the medicine as you slept. You survived," She breathed. "Then _you_ took care of _her_… you guys saved each other."

Peeta looked at her. "The crowds must have loved that" was all he could manage to say.

"Yes," Delly stated with a smile. "You admitted you had a crush on her during your first interview with Cesar Flickerman. Then, you two were everywhere, broadcasted as star crossed lovers. It made the games truly exciting, everyone was rooting for you two."

Peeta closed his eyes and leaned back on his pillows, Delly's words all ringing a faint bell. His breathing became labored. "What happened?" he asked her finally, feeling like somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew the answer.

Delly sighed. "The gamemakers initially changed the rule so two people could win as long as they were from the same district. You guys fought through the games together, and finally you were the only two left. At the last minute, they changed the rules again, saying only one of you could win the games…"

Peeta opened his eyes and looked at her. "Keep going," he commanded quietly.

"You offered to die for her," Delly admitted. Peeta closed his eyes again, feeling pain in his head and his heart. "But she suggested that the two of you commit suicide."

Peeta shot up off the pillows, taking deep, panicked breaths.

**_The nightlock. Her trembling hands. Counting to three. Touching her braid one last time._**

"With nightlock," Delly said slowly, taking Peeta's hand. "But the gamemakers changed their mind at the last second. You both were crowned that year."

Peeta looked at her anxiously. "How could they have made me forget experiences like this? You aren't just making this up, right?"

Delly sighed, and smiled at him. "I think… that somewhere inside of you, you know I'm telling the truth. I'm so sorry, Peeta, but I'm not making it up."

Peeta looked at the picture from the music assembly again. His hand was trembling, making the picture shake. Delly took his hand, steadying the photograph. He couldn't take his eyes off of little Katniss.

"You've loved her for a really long time," Delly said quietly. "Since you were young. You watched her walk home every day."

Suddenly, Peeta's head began to throb intensely, causing him to cry out in pain.

Guards came in and escorted Delly out of the room, and then nurses followed after administering him more medicine. He thrashed against his bed before calming down and returning to dreamless slumber.

* * *

Katniss shot up from her chair as Delly walked into the waiting room.

"I think it's working," she breathed. "We talked a lot about the first games, and I showed him some pictures of us growing up."

Katniss breathed a sigh of relief. _**It was working. She thinks it's working. Maybe there's**_** hope...**

"He still doesn't want to believe though," Delly continued. "But we definitely got somewhere. I had to stop when his headache became too intense. I'm pretty sure they knocked him out again."

Katniss placed her hand on Delly's shoulder. "Thank you," she said, gratefully.

* * *

Katniss couldn't sleep. She watched as Prim breathed in and out in her comfortable bed, before turning to the other side. She was underground, so she couldnt see the position of the moon, but she knew it must have been between 2 and 4 AM.

Pulling on her dark green robe, Katniss wandered out of bed and towards the hospital. She quietly opened and closed the door to Peeta's room, taking her familiar seat and resting her head on her hands as she watched him sleep. Her eyes began to flutter shut as she attempted to fall back to sleep.

"Katniss..." she heard a whisper.

Her eyes opened as she saw Peeta looking at her groggily. _**He's**_**_ drugged_****.** He smiled at her fondly. "I..knew you we're hhere..." he slurred.

Katniss stood up and walked over towards him, stroking his hair. "Shh..." she soothed. "Go back to sleep. I'll be here."

"There's something I have to tell you," he continued slurring through a yawn.

"It can wait till tomorrow," She said quietly, continuing to stroke his hair.

"I have a tracker..." he slurred.

"What?!" Katniss asked, waking up instantly. _**If he has a tracker in his arm, that means the capitol can find out where he is. Where we**_** are.** "Peeta, what did you just say?" she asked, shaking him slightly.

"Tracker...arm...they're coming for me," he admitted groggily, barely making out his words. "I couldn't tell you at first... I didn't believe what you were saying..." he stopped trying to speak, relinquishing himself to the sleep potion and falling back to sleep in front of her eyes.

Katniss inhaled sharply, the weight of his words sinking in. Realizing she needed to go wake Haymitch, she took a deep breath and left Peeta alone in the hospital room.

_**They have a location on the President. We're going to be attacked.**_

**BOOM! The first of a couple big battles is on it's way! The rebellion is truly beginning! KEEP REVIEWING! Should I write another tonight? XOXO DLL**


	17. Firebomb

"Haymitch…" Katniss shook him roughly. "Haymitch!" She commanded him to wake up.

Haymitch's eyes flew up, gasping for breath. "What's going on?" He asked her quickly.

"It's Peeta…" Katniss started. "He had a tracker in his arm all this time. He just told me. We need to evacuate. And get a striker team on the outside in case they attack. They're probably on their way as we speak-"

Haymitch flew out of bed, grabbing his phone. "Back to the hospital," he commanded, as he began speaking in a military language that Katniss couldn't understand.

With a quick nod, she took off from Haymitch's apartment and sprinted back to Peeta's room. Out of breath, she crossed the room in 3 quick strides and stroked his hair, causing him to move slightly.

"Peeta," she whispered. He didn't wake up.

Knowing what she had to do, Katniss took a deep breath. She began rummaging through the drawers near his bed until she found what she needed.

A scalpel.

She began massaging his arm, feeling around for the tracker. She finally felt it.

Peeta woke up to faint touches on his arm. Fluttering open his eyes, the sleep potion made his head swirl as he came back to consciousness. "Katniss…" He could see her blurry figure leaning over him.

Katniss cringed, knowing he was awake. "I'm so sorry," she said before slowly slicing open his arm.

Peeta cried out in pain, thrashing wildly. "What are you doing?!" He slurred his yell.

Katniss pulled out his tracker, holding it up to the light. Her hands were smeared with his blood. "Did you forget to tell me about this?" She asked him bitterly.

Peeta's face turned red. "How did you-"

"You told me when you were drugged. You accidently told me the truth," She snapped at him. Then she crushed the tracker with her fingers. "You do realize that they're going to attack us now, right?"

Peeta leaned back into his pillows. "I didn't tell you because I thought I would need to be rescued. I didn't know whose side I was on."

Suddenly, an alarm began to wail loudly, causing both of them to jump.

"We're evacuating," Katniss muttered, disconnecting the IV's from his arms.

"What are you doing?" Peeta asked her.

Katniss slapped some guaze around his bloody arm. "I'm getting you somewhere safe."

She pulled him out of bed, putting his bad arm around her neck and hoisting him up. "Can you walk?" She asked him, knowing the sleeping drug was probably still somewhat in effect.

Peeta's legs turned limp as he tried to move. "No," he admitted. "You should just-"

Katniss' whirled her head towards him, her eyes on fire. "I'm not going to leave you. I'm not going to do that."

Peeta began to feel déjà vu as his head began to throb. "Did you ever say that to me before?" He asked her, weakly.

Katniss placed him in a chair, hurriedly pressing a button on a watch on her wrist. Then she opened the door and took a peek outside.

People were flying through the hallways in a mass panic. She heard screams and shattering glass, as the crowd continued to stampede. She ducked her head back in right before someone went tearing past her.

"It's crazy out there. We have to move, now," she said urgently, pressing her communicuff again.

"Please go," Peeta begged her. "I'll be fine-"

"That is not happening," Katniss yelled. "Not again."

Suddenly, Gale ran through the door. "What are you still doing here?"

Katniss walked over and stood in front of Peeta. "I communicuffed you three times! He can't walk, I need you to carry him."

"Katniss…" Gale started.

"Please, Gale," She begged. "Please."

Gale gave a frustrated huff before slinging Peeta's arm around his shoulder and lifting him over his shoulder. "We need to go, now. They're waiting for us."

The three of them took off through the crowds, running alongside the masses. Peeta's ribs clunked against Gale's shoulder, flopping him up and down. The sleeping drink hadn't worn off entirely, causing the people running beside him to blur. He closed his eyes and squeezed them shut.

Finally, the three of them reached a small hole. Katniss climbed down first, to find Haymitch, Prim, Cinna, Plutarch and his team, and a woman she didn't recognize. Not paying attention, She helped Peeta down, propping him up against the small wall. Gale climbed down next, closing the door to the hole shut.

Some emergency lights went on, making the room appear somewhat blue. Katniss took this opportunity to look upon the face of the woman she didn't know.

Gray, long hair. A straight face…

"Coin?" She heard Peeta mutter. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the President of district 13, Peeta," She explained, coldly.

Peeta took a deep breath. "The bugs in my office…" he looked at Katniss. "Did you plant them for her?" He asked incredulously, looking back and forth between the two women.

Katniss shook her head. "That was Snow. He was trying to watch what I was doing." She touched his face lightly, relieved that he didn't attempt to avoid her touch.

Ignoring Gale's curse under his breath. She stood up and walked towards Plutarch. "What's happening?" She asked him, attempting to regain her breath.

Plutarch referenced a man next to him. "This is Commander Boggs. He's head of the military forces here. He's going to explain…"

Boggs shook her hand, officially. "We have intel that suggest 10 hovercrafts are 10 miles away. The capitol was recently shipped several hundred fire bombs. We're assuming they're going to be dropping them."

Katniss' face became determined. "We're underground. Can they hit?"

Boggs shook his head. "They probably won't make it through, the ground between us and them is several hundred inches thick. Nothing can say though."

Katniss nodded shakily. "What can I do?"

Boggs looked at Haymitch and Plutarch. "We could use some sharp shooters above ground…"

"Absolutely not," Haymitch started. "Too risky."

"Haymitch-" Katniss began.

"I mean it, Katniss," Haymitch interrupted before she could protest. "The idea of you being the symbol of the rebellion in fact requires you to be alive. This attack… you've had no training, we have very little intel-"

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Were the games not training enough?"

"This is a real war, sweetheart!" Haymitch yelled at her.

"I'm with Haymitch," Gale muttered.

Katniss whirled her head around. "Do I not even have a say?"

"She goes," Coin muttered.

All of the faces in the room turned towards her.

"She goes," Coin repeated. "Send a camera with her. Get some footage."

"Brilliant," Plutarch breathed.

Katniss nodded, determined. Haymitch rolled his eyes.

"I go too," Gale commanded.

"Yes," Katniss agreed, looking at her friend. "I want Gale with me," she commanded.

Peeta scoffed under his breath. He had been so quiet, Katniss was sure he fell asleep again.

Katniss looked at Haymitch, touching his shoulder. "Watch him," She said quietly, throwing a quick look at Peeta over her shoulder. "Don't let him leave."

Haymitch nodded quickly. Katniss quickly kissed Prim on top of her head before walking over to Boggs.

"Let's move," he said powerfully. Katniss walked past Peeta, who grabbed her hand.

"Katniss…" He started.

Conflicted over his feelings, Peeta didn't know what to say. **_Manipulated._** **_Betrayed. Attracted. Connected. Hurt. _**"Don't die," he spat out. Then he dropped her hand.

Katniss took a deep breath, nodding at him. That was all he needed to say… she knew he was struggling with his emotions and memories. She was glad he wanted her to live at all despite him feeling manipulated and betrayed by her.

With that, she climbed up out of the hole, following Boggs through district 13. With Gale right behind her, she was ready to join the line of fire.

* * *

Katniss positioned herself behind some large rocks, with Gale right next to her. They looked at each other desperately.

"Well, Katnip," he said lightly. "We've taken down birds before, this should be easy."

"Actual birds, you moron. Not hovercrafts," she laughed nervously.

With that, hovercrafts with capitol seals began to fly over them loudly. They began to drop bombs, explosions erupting around them. Katniss quickly identified the craft in command, nudging Gale.

With that, she stood up from behind the rock, quickly shooting at the engine of the craft. Ducking down again, Gale stood up and shot at it too. Shots were being fired from all over, and it was almost impossible to tell if their shots were hitting or not over the loud noises from the bombs.

Suddenly, Gale sunk down, blood seeping from his shoulder. He was shot.

"Gale?!" Katniss said worriedly. She knelt down to examine him as fire burned around them. Shots continued to be fired at the rocks where they hid.

Gale looked at her. "I'm okay," he choked out. "It's through and through."

Feeling a new sense of anger, Katniss decided to take action.

She began to climb the rock, before Gale caught her leg. "Don't," He pleaded.

Another explosion went off behind them.

"Let me go!" She called down to him. With a sigh of frustration, he released her leg and grabbed his shoulder, wincing in pain.

Shots fired at her, But Katniss continued to climb smoothly, higher and higher until she could almost see the commanders operating the hovercraft. Quickly taking cover, she leaned over, shooting swiftly at the hovercraft engine one last time.

The explosion was enormous. Burning debris rained from the sky, joining the mass fires on the ground. Katniss took a deep breath.

Then, realizing the other hovercrafts were all flying in to surround her, she froze. Taken over with anger from Gale being shot, she let it fill her up, putting her body into motion. **_  
_**

Katniss knelt down, quickly grabbing some ashes. Walking toward the flat section of rocks, she bent over, and smeared them on top of the rocks to form a single word._**  
**_

**SNOW**

She looked up and around at all of the hovercrafts, staring at each of them before looking at the next one, knowing Snow was getting a live feed from one of the cameras. Slowly, she raised up her hands, covered with black ash._** Shoot me, if you want. That will only make the uprising worse.**_

With that, the hovercrafts began whirling away. Katniss shakily released the breath she was holding. She knew Snow had seen it. She knew he called a ceasefire.

Slowly wiping the sweat off her face, she had forgotten that she was being filmed.

"That was dynamite!" A voice called. Katniss whirled her head around, panting, before looking at a huge camera with a flashing red light. "Plutarch is going to have a heart attack! I'm so getting a raise!"

Katniss glared at him, annoyed at his selfish response. "Look around you," she commanded, referencing the mass destruction that encircled them. "This entire place is on fire."

Her cameraman smiled. "Even so, you were on fire today, Katniss. What do you want to do now?"

Katniss glared at him, thinking about that carefully. She looked at the camera, unsure of how to answer. "I think that's enough for today," she said quietly. _**That's the best you could come up**_** with?**

Katniss quickly climbed down, finding a bloody Gale on the ground.

"You're going to be fine," She told him. "It's just a shoulder wound."

Gale opened his eyes. "Did we win, Katnip?"

"Yes," Katniss breathed. "They left."

With that, Gale shut his eyes again, fading into black.

"We need a medic over here!" Katniss yelled into the fires, praying someone would hear her.

**What do you guys think? Katniss is really coming into her own, isn't she! Review! Another chapter will be up today, so keep checking! XOXO DLL**


	18. Healing

Katniss helped a limping Gale walk back through the tunnels and into district 13. She ran into Boggs, who caught up with her in the line of returning soldiers.

Boggs clapped her on the back. "That was something, Soldier."

Katniss smiled at him grimly. "Thanks," she muttered, dragging Gale along. She stopped, placing Gale's arm around her neck, and supporting his full weight. His blood seeped into her clothes, mixing it with Peeta's blood when she had cut his arm earlier. She felt dirty, like she was responsible for both of their injuries.

As the troop of soldiers began walking through district 13, the crowds began to separate, allowing creating a clear path for them to walk through. The people gaped as they saw Katniss, covered in blood and ashes on her face, practically pulling Gale alongside her.

Gale moaned in pain in her ear, and she began to move faster. "I need to get him to the hospital," she called to Boggs.

"Bring him in here," Boggs commanded, referencing an apartment on her left.

Without thinking, Katniss pulled him in and plopped him on the bed. "He was shot during the first few rounds of fire. The bullet went through and through." She backed away from him as a group of doctors and nurses became strolling in, surrounding his bed and speaking medically.

Katniss sank against the wall and to the floor, breathing deeply. **_Gale got shot. I'm going to be sick._**

Suddenly, the door flew open, and Prim's eyes bulged as she looked upon the mess of her sister. "Katniss!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around her.

"Gale got shot," Katniss muttered blankly.

"We need to clean you up a bit," Prim said gently.

"Not yet, not until they fix Gale," Katniss argued. "I can't go, not until-"

Her words trailed off as Haymitch walked in. "Nice shooting, sweetheart."

"The big explosion?" Prim looked at her. "That was you?!"

"You know what happens when I get mad," Katniss said with a smile. "Where's Peeta?" She asked Haymitch.

"He's with Delly, they're having their second day of therapy. He's going to watch some videos from the games with her."

Katniss nodded quickly, unable to think about anything to do with the games right now. She imagined Snow and his team of military officials sitting around a screen, watching her write his name. Watching her raise her hands in the air.

**_They're going to come back harder than ever._**

Katniss suddenly began to feel lightheaded, looking down, she noticed blood seaping from underneath her armpit. Slowly lifting up her arm, she grunted in pain.

Prim gasped.

"Dammit, Katniss," Haymitch cursed. "We've got another one," he called to the nurses.

They hoisted her up onto a bed across from Gale, her entire body having gone limp. Katniss' breathing became labored.

"There's no gunshot, it's just a laceration from debris. It could be infected. She needs an antiseptic and some morphling, stat. She's losing too much blood!" The nurses chattered over her.

Katniss looked around her, dazed. She was panting. "Gale…" she croaked. "Peeta…"

"Prim…"

"I'm right here Katniss!" She heard her sister's voice in the distance.

Katniss closed her eyes, allowing the darkness to consume her.

* * *

"So then you announced that Katniss was pregnant," Delly continued. "It was quite the shocker, and-"

Peeta threw his hands in the air. "Delly, is this even necessary right now? Didn't you hear those explosions? We should be finding out about what's going on-"

"Haymitch said he would bring us news after he spoke to Boggs. And besides, the more you remember the more you can help," Delly said, taking his hand.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Peeta yelled, frusturated. He slammed his other hand on the table. "It hurts," he admitted, shamefully.

"I know," Delly sighed. "Why don't you just ask some more questions? Rather than trying to remember on your own."

Peeta leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. "How did the second games end?"

Delly looked at him. "You and Katniss got separated. And then Katniss blew up the arena with the electric wire Beetee set up around the tree."

Peeta looked at her incredulously. "She...blew up the arena?"

Delly smiled, nodding. "You really know how to pick em'."

Peeta smiled too, unable to help himself. He looked up at Delly, who had a nervous look on her face. "What happened after that?" He asked, darkly.

Delly looked at him. "After the arena blew up you got taken. That was the last time you saw her until last week. That was the last time any of us saw you until the inauguration."

They both turned and looked at the door at the sound of it opening. Plutarch came walking in.

"Delly, Peeta," Plutarch greeted them formally.

"Hello, Plutarch," Delly said, letting go of Peeta's hand. Peeta jumped out of his chair. "Can we help you? Do you have news?"

"It was a rebel victory. You're going to be moved out of the hospital wing now, Peeta," Plutarch explained.

Delly looked at Peeta. "That's great!"

"Why?" Peeta asked, something telling him that something was wrong.

Plutarch sighed. "It was a rebel victory, but there were some injuries. We need to give your bed to someone else."

Delly sighed heavily. "What happened?"

"They just dropped some firebombs is all. We've got people with scratches, we've got people with third degree burns and nerve damage, we've got people with gunshot wounds..."

Peeta shook his head, not wanting to hear more. "Where is my room?"

"I'm going to take you there now," Plutarch said. "We can have a quick chat on the way."

Peeta suddenly seemed to feel nervous. He watched Delly stand up, and he smiled at her. "I'll see you later, right?" He asked her. Delly was his only friend. The only one he could fully trust.

Delly nodded. "I'll see you later. Bye, Plutarch," She said, walking slowly out of the room.

Plutarch held up his arm, allowing Peeta to walk out the door first. They walked slowly down several hallways.

They finally arrived in front of a door. "Is this me?" Peeta asked.

"Listen, kid," Plutarch started. "I'm not going to dance around this. The stunt with the tracker was unacceptable. Coin is ready to have you publicly executed and broadcasted to the capitol. You may not be on our side, but don't pretend that you're on the capitol's side either."

Peeta sighed. "I thought I had just been kidnapped by rebels. I thought I was the President who just got kidnapped. I didn't know I was just a pawn until later on."

Plutarch waved his hand. "Nevertheless, We stuck our necks out for you. Katniss only agreed to become the mockingjay if you were granted full political immunity... Coin can't touch you. But she's pissed."

"Coin, or Katniss?" Peeta asked.

"Both," Plutarch said with a smile.

"I'm pissed too," Peeta admitted. "I don't think either of them have the right to-"

"Forget the past," Plutarch condescended.

"I did," Peeta reminded him. "Literally."

Plutarch looked at him and placed his hands on his shoulders. "And now that you are starting to remember, isn't it clear who's side you should be on?"

Peeta looked at him, seeing straight through his head and watching the wheels turn. "You're trying to recruit me, aren't you."

Plutarch smiled. "Training starts on Monday. I figured you would want in on the action, plus it might get some people to trust you a little more."

Peeta bit his lip. "Or you want me there to be Katniss' bodyguard," he snapped. "God forbid anything happen to your precious mockingjay. Isn't Gale there for that?"

Plutarch handed him the keys to his room, and started to walk away. "Protecting her is what _you_ do best," he called back. "She trusts you with her life. Let me know when you're ready to die for her again."

Peeta gripped his door handle, ready to throw a punch at Plutarch.

_Let me know when you're ready to die for her_ _again._

**_Was I really that in love with_**** her?**

Suddenly, his head started to hurt. He opened the door to his room and laid down on his bed. On his nighttable, there was a note for him. He opened it slowly. "In the bathroom... drinks for the headaches. They should also help you start to remember on your own. -H"

Peeta groaned. _**I don't want to remember. Why can't things just go back to normal again? Why did this have to happen to me?**_

Unable to help himself, he stood up and crossed into the bathroom, taking one of the drinks in a single gulp. _**I guess I know what side i'm on.**_

* * *

_**Rain. Katniss digging through the trash outside of the bakery. Turning up the temperature on the oven. Pulling out half burned bread. Getting hit in the face by a woman. Tossing the bread to an extremely thin Katniss sitting underneath the tree. Going back inside.**_

Peeta's eyes shot open. Panting, he realized that he had just had a memory on his own. The drink worked.

Not even remembering falling asleep, he looked at the clock near his bed. _**2**_** AM.**

Not thinking, Peeta pulled on a fresh blue sweater and a gray jacket. He left his room, wandering through the hallways until he found the number to Katniss' room. Knocking slightly, he was startled when Prim opened the door. She gaped when she saw him.

"You're Primrose, right?" He asked her quietly.

"Yes," Prim breathed. "Are you looking for-"

"Yes," Peeta answered.

"She's in the hospital, room 505," Prim answered.

Without saying thank you or goodbye, Peeta took off. He ran and ran until he finally made it to the room.

Peeta opened and closed the door quietly. He could only see Gale, with bandages and a sling wrapped around his shoulder. _**Did she give me the wrong number?**_

"Who's there?" He heard Katniss whisper from behind another curtain.

He crossed the room and went behind the curtain, finding Katniss in a hospital gown, lying in bed, with a blanket draped over her legs. Her eye's were wide open. Her hair was down and long. She had small cuts all over her face. Her hands had the faint stain of blood on them.

Peeta looked at her, watching her reaction to him showing up. She kept a poker face, just breathing in and out. She began to fiddle with her hands, and she looked down at them.

"I remember about the bread," he told her, gasping for breath from his run. "I know you're mad at me, and I'm mad at you too, but I just had to tell you."

Katniss' eyes snapped up. "Delly told you about that?"

"I drank what Haymitch left me. It was like a dream, but more like a movie," Peeta explained. He sat down on the chair next to her bed, placing his hands on his knees and breathing deeply.

Katniss looked down at her hands again. "You saved us from starving. I wanted to thank you, I just didn't really know how-"

Suddenly, Peeta moved over and sat on her bed. He touched her chin, moving her face up to look at his. "I need to know something," he asked her. She nodded slowly. He took a deep breath. "Did you ever really love me?... Or was it all for show?"

**CLIFFHANGER! Will Katniss still feel the same way about Peeta now that Gale's been shot? REVIEW!**


	19. Confession

Katniss took a deep breath.

"Katniss…" Peeta pressed. "Just be honest with me."

"I did love you," she told him. "It just took me some time to figure it out."

Peeta breathed shakily, taking his hand off her face.

"I'm not am emotional person…" Katniss began. "But there was something about you… I cared for you so much, even when I barely knew you. For awhile I was really conflicted, and you were pretty angry with me for it."

"On the victory tour…" Peeta started. His head started to throb slightly.

"I was worried about Snow, worried about the districts… I had so much on my plate. And I wasn't ready to confront how I felt about you, because loving you was the scariest thing I've ever done. The scariest thing I ever will do."

Peeta looked at her. "I don't understand…"

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Ever since we met your life has been in constant danger. _Constant," _She said slowly. "I haven't stopped worrying about you since the day of the first reaping. Everyone was trying to save me, but I was only trying to save you. My life _never_ mattered to me. It still doesn't."

Peeta gaped at her. "It matters to other people," he said darkly. "It isn't just yours to throw away-"

Katniss looked up at him finally. "Does my life matter to you?" She whispered.

Peeta was at a loss for words. He looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

"You don't have to answer that," Katniss said to him. "Peeta…"

He looked at her slowly.

"I know that you don't remember how you feel about me. And I know it's going to take some time… But I can't deny that I'm in love with you," she whispered. "Not anymore, now that you're here...back with me."

Peeta bent his eyebrows. "What about Gale?" He muttered.

"I love Gale too, but you…" she trailed off. "You just… you consume me," she admitted slowly, her eyes fluttering shut.

Peeta's heart swelled. He didn't know what to do, so he sat there in silence.

"I want you to take your time," Katniss told him, her eyes still closed, "But you should know that as long as I'm alive, I will be fighting for you… no matter what." She opened her eyes and found him staring at her.

"I don't know what to say," he admitted honestly.

"When you first told me you loved me, I didn't know what to say either," Katniss admitted.

"What did I do?" Peeta asked her.

"You told me to lie with you. And you held me close," she trailed off. "That was the first time I ever heard your heart beat. I mean _really_ heard it." She smiled faintly.

Peeta looked down at his hands. "What about last week? When you were just the servant and I was just the President…"

"The bugs in your office were from Snow. He was watching my every move, I didn't put them there to help the rebels. I didn't even know I was going to be a rebel until I heard about the plan to break out Prim," Katniss explained.

"You're not just a rebel, Katniss. You're _the_ rebel. You're the mockingjay. The entire country is looking to you," he whispered. "You can't blame me for feeling slightly betrayed."

"And I don't," Katniss told him. "But Snow had Prim. And whenever something happened between us, he threatened to have her killed. He threatened to have you killed… You can't blame me for not telling you. I was scared," her voice cracked on the last word. She quickly rubbed her eyes.

Peeta took a deep breath.

"Did you even care about me?" Katniss asked.

"I'm still remembering most things, Katniss-"

"I'm not talking about the things you forget. I'm talking about last week. I'm talking about when I was just the servant and you were just the President."

Peeta looked at her, his eyes gazing into hers. "I'd never cared so much for someone," he admitted. "I didn't understand why I felt so connected to you."

Katniss sighed. "I'm still that person, you know," she said quietly.

"But I'm not the same person as I was last week," Peeta snapped. "Too much has happened, I've changed."

Katniss laid back into her pillows. "I know," she said quietly.

With that, Peeta stood up, leaving her alone in bed as tears silently fell down her face.

* * *

Gale closed his eyes as he heard Peeta crossing the room and heading out the door.

He shut them tight as he listened to Katniss weep silently. He had heard her whole conversation with Peeta, and his heart now hurt more than his shoulder.

_**She doesn't love you**_, he told himself. _**She loves him.**_

**_That doesn't mean you can't stop trying._**

* * *

The next morning, Peeta was allowed to eat his first meal with the rest of the rebels. Grabbing some breakfast, he scanned the cafeteria for Delly, who waved him over to her table.

"Morning, Dell," he said to her.

"Hey Peeta," She said quietly. "Did you hear about Katniss?"

Peeta smiled faintly. "What are you talking about?"

"She blew up the command hovercraft yesterday. It was _her_," Delly exclaimed.

"That's really something," Peeta said. **_She also admitted to being in love with me last night._**

"That's not even half of it," Another guy chimed in from down the table. "I heard she was surrounded by 9 hovercrafts that all had their guns pointing at her, so she wrote Snow's name on top of rocks with the ashes from the explosion. And then…" he raised up his hands, imitating Katniss' exact movements. "She just raised up her hands. The hovercrafts didn't even know what to do, so they just left!"

Everyone at the table gasped. "She wrote Snow?!" "She's so brave!" "She truly is the mockingjay!"

Delly looked at Peeta, who had an angry expression on his face. He ignored the chatter and continued shoving his breakfast into his mouth.

Delly placed her hand on his shoulder. "Did something happen?"

"No, its nothing," Peeta smiled.

_'Everyone was trying to save me, but I was only trying to save you. My life never mattered to me. It still doesn't…'_

His eyes perked up as he noticed the room fell silent. He watched as Gale and Katniss walked into the cafeteria together, laughing quietly at an inside joke. They were both regularly dressed, Gale with a sling around his arm.

Peeta quickly finished his breakfast, not looking at them anymore. He heard them come over to the table, he heard them sit down. But he couldn't look at her. He couldn't look at them together.

"Morning, Peeta," Gale said. Katniss elbowed him in the ribs.

"Hey," Peeta said, throwing a quick glance at Katniss. With that, he stood up.

"Where-where are you going?" Delly asked.

"I'm starting training today," Peeta answered them. Then he looked at Katniss. "It seems Plutarch wants me on your team." With that, he walked out of the cafeteria.

Delly stood up. "I better go see what…" she trailed off as Katniss nodded at her. "Ill let you know if he's not okay."

Katniss fumed, her blood boiling with anger. **_Fucking Plutarch, always having too much fun with the rest of us._**

Gale touched her shoulder. "Katnip, it's okay."

She looked at Gale. "My _only _request as mockingjay was too keep Peeta safe. To give him immunity. And now Plutarch is throwing him into the line of fire? Why would he do that?"

"He just wants to keep you fighting. You need more shields."

Katniss froze, his words sinking in. **"**What do you mean, you're all just _shields _for me?"

Gale took a deep breath as Katniss' eyes bulged.

"You mean that Plutarch and Boggs are just putting people on my team they want to take a bullet for me," she snapped at him.

Gale threw his hands in the air. "No one wants a martyr. Look at what you accomplished after I got shot. Having people you love around you… it fuels you."

Katniss stood up from the table, angrily. "It scares me!" She screamed, having the entire cafeteria turn and watch as she stomped out the room.

Katniss stomped up to headquarters, ready to give Plutarch a piece of her mind.

As soon as she opened the door, she was silenced with "SHHH…"

She looked up in horror as she saw Snow's face on the television screen.

"And now I have a message for the mockingjay," he said smoothly. "Your spontaneous tricks won't get you far. The berries first, then the wire, and now the hovercraft… you truly are a master of manipulation," he sneered, knowing exactly who he was talking to. "I would like to request a meeting with the mockingjay, to discuss, well… further arrangements in regards to the war. We both want what is best for Panem, and as leaders I believe we can… negotiate," he said, with a snakelike smile. **_Negotiate, ha_**, Katniss thought. "You have 8 hours to respond."

With that, the screen went black.

**Will Katniss take the meeting with Snow? Will Peeta confront his feelings for Katniss? Will Gale ever tell her how he feels? Will the battle continue? Stay tuned and review. What do you want to happen?**

**xoxo DLL**


	20. Warning

**Dive In!**

"It's non negotiable," Katniss said. "I'm going."

"He will go back on his word," Haymitch said. "You will be trapped there and we won't be able to get to you."

"What if I bring someone with me?" Katniss said. "I'm sure he'll have people with him."

"I go," Coin said. "I'm President of 13. I don't want him to think I'm a coward."

"Boggs and Gale come too," Katniss said. "I'll feel better with them around."

"He has to have a trick up his sleeve," a voice said from the corner.

Everyone whirled around, only to find Peeta.

"I know the way his mind works," Peeta continued. "This doesn't sound like a good idea."

Everyone sat still, knowing he was right.

"What if we meet in the middle? We can bring our own vehicles, teams, everything. As long as there's a threat looming, he won't go back on his word," Plutarch said. "I'm a gamemaker, I know how he thinks too."

"That's better," Peeta said, pointing to Plutarch. "Call his bluff. Give him some terms."

Coin raised her hand. "Excuse me? Shouldn't I be the one meeting with the President?"

"He asked for the _mockingjay_," Gale snapped.

Katniss took a deep breath, looking at Peeta, panicked.

"We shoot a propo with Coin accepting Snows offer and reading the terms of the meeting. That way, you've identified yourself, he knows there are more people leading the revolution than just Katniss," Plutarch explained. "Cressida, get Beetee on setting up a broadcast. We shoot in an hour. Katniss, go to Cinna, he has something for you, Gale and Boggs please go to special forces."

The room began humming with nervous excitement as everyone stood up from the table. Katniss crossed the room to where Peeta was standing.

He could read the fear in her eyes. He knew how she felt about Snow.

Not saying anything, Peeta took her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Don't," Katniss pleaded, as he began to pull his hand away. He quickly pulled her in for a tight hug.

Peeta wasn't sure why he was being affectionate. He wasn't sure if he remembered or what he remembered. He just knew that he cared about Katniss, and she needed his support right now. He could forget about the lies for today… They were in a war.

Finally releasing her, the room had become empty.

"I have to go to training," Peeta said. "I'll see you later."

Katniss nodded quickly, watching him walk out the door. Her heart felt a jab when she watched him leave again.

Tucking her bangs behind her ears, Katniss took a deep breath and left to go find Cinna. They were going to have a lot of work to do.

* * *

Later that night, 10 hummers full of rebel soldiers revved their engines, waiting for Katniss and her team to show up.

She strolled in, her hair long and loose, wearing a black leather jacket, green pants, and black leather boots. Her eyemakeup was dark but subtle. Katniss couldn't help but notice that her hands were shaking as she approached the hummers.

She saw Haymitch, Gale, and Peeta waiting for her.

Cinna caught up to her quickly. "You look great," Cinna said. "Your outfit is just simple enough to remind him of-"

"The games," Katniss whispered.

"Exactly," Cinna continued. "It's also durable for running, in case."

Finally reaching the hummers, Cinna took Katniss by both shoulders. "Don't be afraid," he told her familiarly.

Katniss smiled. "I'm not afraid," she tried to say as strongly as she could, but it didn't come out as fearsome as the last time she wanted it to. She gave Cinna a quick hug. "I'll see you in a little while."

She turned to face Gale, Peeta, and Haymitch.

Haymitch touched her face. "I won't be going with you, but here's an earpiece. You'll be able to hear me the whole time."

Katniss nodded shakily, taking the small bud and placing it in her ear. She nodded at Haymitch. "Thanks," she said.

Then she looked at Gale. "Ready?" She asked him.

"Yes," Gale said, meaning it. "We're going to be riding in hummer 1 with boggs. Plutarch and Coin will be behind us in hummer 2, Beetee and Haymitch are staying behind."

With that, Gale hopped into the back of the hummer, leaving Katniss and Peeta alone.

Peeta pulled her in for a hug. "Don't do anything risky," he whispered in her ear. "Stick to the plan."

Releasing her, he pulled out the mockingjay pin.

"How did you-" Katniss began.

"Prim gave it to me. She said you left it on the hovercraft the day we escaped." He pinned it to her chest. "Give em hell, mockingjay." With that, he started walking away.

Katniss sucked in a quick breath. "Peeta!" She called at his backside.

He whirled around, looking at her and smiling fondly.

Katniss strode over to him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him in for a kiss. Peeta automatically threw his arms around her back, pulling her closer.

Hearing the hummer honk at them, They broke apart, touching their foreheads together. "Stay out of trouble," Katniss whispered to him. "And… Just in case something happens to me-"

"No need for that, Katniss," he said, interrupting her. "I'll see you when you get back. I'll be right here."

Katniss nodded, and took a deep breath. She turned around and hopped into the back of the hummer, closing the door. She stood up and watched as Peeta began to shrink in the distance.

**_I hate goodbyes._**

The air was cold, and the sky was dark. The hummers of the rebels lined up in a horizontal line, with all of their high beams on to light the meadow where the meeting was taking place. It was lightly covered in powdery snow.

Katniss looked up at the stars, wondering how such beauty could reign over such destruction below.

Suddenly, hovercrafts came whirling over them, landing on the opposite side of the meadow. They aimed their guns at the hummers, but didn't fire.

**_He was prepared too._** Katniss thought.

Katniss walked forward, watching Snow climb down from the hovercraft and walk towards her as well. She could see the air coming out of her mouth as she moved closer and closer towards the man she hated the most.

Finally, they reached one another.

"Miss Everdeen," Snow said with a chill in his voice. He reached in his pocket and grabbed a rose, holding it out to her. "Thank you for accepting my invitation."

Katniss took the rose, smelling it. "What did you want to discuss?"

Snow smiled at her. "I remember promising you once that I would never lie to you. And this conversation is going to stay between the two of us, I assume?"

Katniss glared at him. "Don't assume anything about me, President Snow."

"You're right, you are quite unpredictable," Snow said with an eerie laugh. "I came to warn you."

"Warn me?" Katniss scoffed.

He leaned close to her, whispering in her ear. "There is a traitor in your midst, Miss. Everdeen," he sent chills down her spine.

Katniss' heart stopped. She kept her cool. "Are you attempting to manipulate me again?"

"This meeting was simply to plant the seed, and now that it's there, the thought won't ever escape you," Snow said. "Look at Peeta, for example."

Katniss blood lit on fire when he spoke his name.

"His loving you was always there, and no matter what we did, he was never able to truly forget. Inspiring, isn't it?" Snow said cheerfully.

Katniss glared at him. "It's a shame that none of your tactics ever seem to actually work."

Snow looked at her darkly. "It's working right now, Miss. Everdeen. The art of poisonous manipulation. You're a fan, I believe."

Katniss stared at him long and hard.

Snow smiled. "You're running out of tricks, Miss. Everdeen. The clock is ticking. And when the masks come off at midnight, trust me, everyone will see you for what you really are," He breathed. "You just want to save your own skin."

"As opposed to you?" Katniss muttered sarcastically.

"I didn't come here to argue," Snow smiled. "Just to give you a friendly warning."

Katniss took a deep breath. "The districts are on our side now. You are outnumbered-"

"You are outgunned," Snow sneered.

"Your guns are fragile," Katniss corrected, clearly. "Did you not see your command hovercraft the other day?" Katniss asked innocently. "I waved to the camera's and everything."

Snow smiled bitterly at her. "Like I said," he began. "You're going to run out of tricks eventually. They always do-"

"I'm also going to run out of patience," Katniss snapped. "If you intend to call a ceasefire, I wouldn'ttake your time," she started.

Snow leaned closer to her. "Is that a threat?"

Katniss glared at him. "No, Sir, That was a warning," She stepped closer to him, challenging him. "This is a threat: When the rebels win, and we will, win," she assured him, "I'm going to _burn_ you."

Snow's face froze, clearly taken aback by her words. "You're not a soldier, Katniss," He said with a smile.

Katniss raised her eyebrows. "You're right," she said, smiling back. "I'm a victor."

They stared at each other for awhile, before Katniss grinned. "Thank you for the meeting," she said, reaching out and offering him her hand. "It was great to see you again."

He kissed it, and smiled at her. "Don't forget about what I told you, now!" he chimed at her.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Katniss called as she walked towards the hummers. Carefully, she climbed into the back of hummer two. "Drive!" she commanded. She closed her eyes, ignoring the bombarding of questions from Boggs and Gale.

**_There's a mole on our team. He said there was a rat on our team._**

Sometime later, Katniss snapped out of her trance when Gale touched her face. "What happened? What did he say?"

Katniss, suddenly feeling sick, laid back against the walls of the bumping car. "How long till we get back?" She asked Boggs.

"10 minutes or so," Boggs told her. "You okay?"

Katniss closed her eyes. "I need to speak to Haymitch."

**Well! Who do you think the mole is? Will Katniss go to war against Snow? Did the kiss mean something to Peeta, or is he still conflicted? Review and follow! More chapters up tomorrow! XOXO DLL**


	21. Heartbeat

**Time to find the identity of the traitor. I'm sure you all have your suspicions; I hope that I surprise you!**

"Where's Peeta?" Katniss asked as she walked in breathlessly to Haymitch's room. It was late, and Katniss had just returned back to 13 from her meeting with Snow.

"I don't know," Haymitch answered honestly. "What's going on? What did Snow say?"

"He told me there was a rat on the team. He knew that Peeta was in recovery, he knew we were going to have hummers… He knew- someone told him," Katniss whispered, almost afraid that someone else would hear.

Haymitch stood up and closed the door, looking unsuprised.

Katniss gaped at him. "You knew?"

Haymitch took a deep breath. "Plutarch and I have known for awhile."

Katniss threw her hands in the air. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because it wouldn't have made any difference unless we figured out who it was," Haymitch explained. "Plus, sweetheart, you didn't need any more on your plate."

Katniss nodded, understanding. "Well who is it?"

Haymitch took a deep breath. "You're not going to like it."

"C'mon Haymitch," Katniss snapped.

* * *

Delly sat with a nervous Peeta, who bobbed his knee up and down in a frantic motion.

"They'll be back soon, Peeta," Delly said, slightly annoyed.

"They were supposed to be back by _now_," Peeta snapped at her.

Delly sighed and looked at her hands. "I see you're back in love with Katniss again."

Peeta looked at her, not saying anything, before looking back to the floor.

"You can tell me, you know," Delly soothed. "You can tell me anything…" She slowly moved her hand over and placed it on his knee.

Peeta, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, stood up. "They should be back by now," He said, crossing towards the door to the room.

Delly stood up frantically. "Peeta!" She called at him.

Peeta tried to open the door… locked.

**_What's going on?_**

He whirled around, finding Delly holding a gun and pointing it straight at him.

"Delly…" he started slowly.

"You can't leave," she said. "I'm sorry!"

"What is this, Delly…" Peeta muttered darkly.

"Delly!"

They both looked behind them and through the glass door to find Haymitch, Boggs, and Gale.

"Unlock the door Delly!" Haymitch called in. "Let's just talk."

"The only person who can come in is Katniss," Delly cried, waving the gun frantically. She looked at Peeta with a sadistic grin. "She will come for you, you know."

"That isn't happening," Gale said, slamming his hand on the door.

"Delly, c'mon," Peeta whispered to her, raising his hands in the air. "Tell me what's going on."

"Snow has my father. He won't release him until I shoot the mockingjay," Delly said with tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry Peeta, I've been lying to you...but I'm only doing this for you own good. Katniss is wrong for you!"

Peeta could hear Gale fiddling with the lock, but his eyes never left the gun pointed at him. "We can figure something out," he told her slowly. "No one needs to get hurt, we can forget this ever happened."

Delly began sobbing uncontrollably. She walked over to the door.

"Where is Katniss?!" She exclaimed.

"Delly, Don't-" Peeta started.

"WHERE IS KATNISS" Delly repeated.

"I'm right here," Katniss said from the back of the room. Apparently there was a back door.

Before Delly could process Katniss' arrival, Peeta ran towards Katniss from the other side of the room. Delly fired her gun in the air. "Don't move!" She yelled at him.

"Peeta…" Katniss said slowly, looking at Delly. She moved slowly to stand in front of him."Go out the back door."

"No," Peeta protested.

"Peeta, _now," _Katniss tried again. She turned her head to look into his eyes.

"I can't" Peeta whispered, desperately.

"This is just so sweet," Delly cried. "He's always been in love with you, you know. Even when we were kids. I was always just his _friend_."

"You mean more to me than-" Peeta started.

"She doesn't deserve you, Peeta!" Delly wailed at him.

"Peeta, go!" Katniss commanded, she stood in front of him. "Please!"

"I can't just-"

Suddenly, shots began to fire. Katniss closed her eyes, stretching her arms in front of Peeta, before being knocked to the ground. She could only hear the high frequency of the room.

Opening her eyes slowly, she began to panic. "Peeta," she whimpered, looking through the smoke. "Peeta?!" She called again.

"I'm here," he called from the corner of the room. He was lying down on his back. Katniss crawled over to him, hovering over him.

"Did you get-" She began to cry.

"No," He told her, leaning up and pressing his forehead against hers quickly.

"Katniss…" She heard a whisper from the other side of the room. Katniss whirled around towards the voice.

_Boggs._

"Boggs?!" Katniss screamed, standing up and running over to him. "No, no, no-" She said, touching his chest and finding blood spilling from it. She placed both of her hands quickly over his heart, applying pressure, as tears fell from her face.

"Katniss…" he grunted. "It's okay…"

"You're going to be okay, it's going to be okay-" Katniss wailed.

"Listen to me," Boggs choked out. "The Holo. It's in my office. Take it with you when you go to the capitol."

"Boggs, don't do this, you just need a few stitches and-"

"I won't be making it, Katniss," Boggs whimpered out. "Good luck… and just know, that… " he trailed off.

"Boggs?!" Katniss cried.

"I believe in you," He breathed, closing his eyes for the final time.

As Katniss felt his heart stop beating, her head began to swirl. She couldn't find the strength to move her hands from his chest. She looked around the room vacantly, only to find Haymitch and Gale arresting Delly.

Lights faintly exploded, smoke rising. Peeta watched the scene unfold in front of him, watching Katniss leaning over Boggs with her hands covered in his blood.

He slowly walked over to her, afraid to startle her, as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Katniss…" he started.

Katniss stood up, flinging herself into his arms. Peeta could feel Boggs' blood on his skin from where Katniss' hands had touched his neck. He gripped her tight, his stomach reeling with nausea at the thought of her sacrificing himself for him.

Katniss sobbed uncontrollably into his shirt as Peeta guided her out of the room. She didn't know where he was taking her, and she didn't care. She hid her face in his chest until they went inside Peeta's room and he sat her on the bed.

Peeta quickly dipped into his bathroom, turning on the bath. Katniss had stopped crying, yet she was unable to move. She stared blankly ahead of her, feeling Bogg's last heartbeat pulse through her bones over and over again.

Peeta ushered her into the bathroom, slowly taking off her jacket and shirt until her torso was exposed. He took her hands and placed them in the warm water, massaging her arms and hands with light soap to get the stains of Bogg's life off of Katniss' hands.

Peeta then turned on the shower.

"Can you get in?" He asked her.

Katniss nodded, and Peeta left her alone. He leaned against the door to the bathroom, his heart aching as he heard her cry softly.

As Katniss undressed, she noticed the swirl of red water going down the drain.

For the first time since the games, she remembered what it was like to have blood on her hands.

**_How am I going to be a war leader?_**

**Review! Who thought this chapter was intense AF! I'll post again tomorrow J xoxo DLL**


	22. Passion

**This is for all my Katniss Peeta lovers! This chapter is FOR SURE rated M if you know what I mean. Hope it's not too steamy for you!**

Katniss couldn't sleep. She laid in bed, facing Peeta, watching him breathe in and out, looking peaceful.

**_What am I going to do about you…_** she thought to herself, as she stroked his hair gently.

She leaned backwards and closed her eyes, attempting to drift, when images began flickering of earlier events.

**_Bogg's last heartbeat. Delly waving the gun at Peeta. Gale slamming against the door… blood running off my hands…_**

Before she knew it, Katniss had flown out of bed and out the door. She didn't care if she woke Peeta, she didn't think. She ran through the tunnels, leading herself to the only place she felt slightly at home.

The outside.

* * *

Peeta woke up suddenly as he heard the door to his room close. Frantically looking around the room, he felt cold as he noticed Katniss had gone missing.

**_Why would she leave?_**

There was no way. He had washed her, dressed her… she hadn't spoken a word since Boggs died, but she hadn't been able to leave his side either.

Peeta's stomach began to churn, realizing something was wrong. He took off after her, following the smell of her hair and listening to the sound of her running footsteps. Finally, he made it above ground, only to see the backside of Katniss standing in the distance, breathing so deep she was heaving. She stood right in front of the fence that enclosed district 13, staring at it.

Peeta took a deep breath, seeing his exhale in the cold air. He watched her for a moment, feeling how much pain she was in… thinking of anything he could do.

The snow was coming down hard, and Katniss' wet hair had frozen, sticking to her

head. The hot tears that fell from her eyes burned her face as the cold air whipped against them. She closed her eyes, just breathing. She attempted to clear her mind.

"Katniss?" She heard Peeta's voice call from behind. She turned her head around, seeing him standing there, practically shivering in his robe. "Let's go inside, c'mon," he said gently.

"I can't," Katniss whispered, feeling unable to move. She looked back at the fence again, absent mindedly raising her hand up toward it. "I can't move," she repeated softly, only loud enough for herself to hear.

Suddenly, Peeta's robe was wrapped around her shoulders. He came up next to her, and brushed the tears from her eyes gently, holding her face between of his hands.

"I can't do this, Peeta," Katniss began to sob. "I-I can't be-be the mockingjay. It's too much. I can't p-put people in danger, a-and…" she trailed off as her sobs became uncontrollable.

"Shh, Shh…" Peeta soothed, wiping her tears frantically with his thumbs. "Yes, yes you can," he urged her softly.

"It hurts too much," Katniss wailed softly, attempting to regain her breath.

Peeta stood there, looking in her eyes. "I said the same thing once… when I had first started recovering," he told her, catching her attention. "The pain, it was just unbearable. It felt like it was taking over my heart."

"People are dying for me-" Katniss began to sob.

"But then I started to remember," he said, tilting her head up so she was looking at him. "And it was all worth it."

Katniss took a deep breath, Her eyes fluttering against the snowflakes.

"You once told me that you would never stop fighting for me," Peeta told her. "But if you think about it, me facing the hijacking, the pain I felt, I was fighting for you. I was fighting to have you back, to remember all of you. To _know_ all of you," he continued. "And the feelings you've given me… the way I feel now, after beating it, is worth the pain, Katniss."

Katniss gaped at him, taking slow deep breaths.

"I love you," he said, pressing his forehead against hers. "I will never stop fighting for you, because I know how much you're worth…" he trailed off. "But if you can't see that, if you can't see how much you're worth, than fight for something else," he urged her.

"Like what?" Katniss breathed. "I'm so t-tired-"

"Fight for us. Fight for the life we deserve," Peeta encouraged strongly. "The life that the capitol took from us ever since the reaping-"

Katniss couldn't wait any more, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Peeta responded hungrily, gripping her hair and diving his tongue into her mouth. Suddenly not feeling so cold anymore, he moved his hands to her lower back, pulling her closer. Katniss gripped his hair, gasping as he dove into her neck, kissing her all over. "I love you," she could hear him whisper in between kisses, sending shivers down her spine. She arched herself into him, grabbing his shirt, and getting a grunt from him in response. "Katniss," he breathed.

Suddenly feeling the need for more, Katniss stopped him, looking into his eyes. They were hungry and dark, as their kiss had made them desperate for each other.

Katniss, feeling strong, leaned up on her toes, placing her lips right next to his ear.

"Come with me," she whispered, taking his hand and leading him inside.

* * *

Peeta frantically pushed her against the door, kissing her as he attempted to figure out which key unlocked his room. She began kissing his neck, causing his eyes to roll back into his head, as gasped for air slowly. Finally finding the right key, he pushed his door open, shoving it closed behind him.

They continued to kiss, and Peeta threw his keys on the floor, using his now free hands to pick up Katniss' legs, spreading them around his waist. Katniss wrapped her legs around him as he walked over to the bed, sitting down on it. As she straddled him, he began kissing her chest, desperately taking off the robe he had just put on her a few moments ago. He kissed her shoulders, her collarbone, anywhere he could. Katniss leaned her head back in response, her eyes fluttering shut.

Suddenly, she reached her hands in front of her, fiddling with the hem of Peeta's shirt and slowly lifting it over his head. She pressed her body into his, feeling his warmth.

"Katniss..." she heard him say.

She looked at him, her cheeks flushing nervously. "What's wrong?" She asked with a heavenly smile, panting for breath.

Peeta placed his hand on her face. "We should slow down," he told her sheepishly. "If we keep going... I don't think I'll be able to stop."

Katniss took a deep breath, and leaned her forehead against his. "I don't want you to stop," she whispered dangerously.

Peeta, realizing her words, pulled her back in for an aggressive kiss, standing up and lying her down on the bed. He reached in between her legs, pulling down her underwear from underneath her black nightdress.

"Are you sure?" He asked, as the darkness surrounded them.

Katniss smiled, never feeling more sure of anything in her life. She began kissing his neck again, saying "yes," in between kisses.

Peeta sank into her, feeling their bodies touch.

"Please, Peeta," she moaned underneath him.

Not able to help himself anymore, Peeta sat up, taking off the rest of his clothes, before slowly slipping inside her.

**Now who's been waiting for that?! Who's heart is swelling right now! Review! XOXO DLL**


	23. Fuel

**Here's to girl power! **

The next morning, Katniss snuggled into a sleeping Peeta. He took a deep breath, moving his arms around her. Flickering his eyes open, he looked at the beautiful girl in his arms.

"Hey," he whispered to her.

"Hi," Katniss blushed. "I can't believe that happened," she whispered with a smile, and he grinned.

"I know," he said back, pressing his forehead against hers.

"It was your speech," Katniss giggled.

"It was a great speech," Peeta joked. "But I meant every word of it."

Katniss sat up, slowly putting on her black nightdress. She began to braid her hair loosely as Peeta watched her.

Normally, he got headaches when he watched her braid her hair. Not thinking anything of it, Peeta sat up, pulling on his pants. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing her cheek as she pulled on her boots.

"Where are you going?" He asked her.

"Breakfast," Katniss told him. "I'm hungry," she complained.

Peeta smiled at her, and she slapped his arm playfully.

"What?!" She exclaimed with a smile. "I never take food for granted. The fact that we have three meals a day here is… well it's unlike anything I've ever had… besides the week before the games."

Peeta closed his eyes, smiling. As he shut them, he noticed flickering images across his mind. Like a movie, his mind raced through his memories…

**_Prim screaming for Katniss as she walked on the stage at the reaping…Their first tribute parade, holding hands...her slapping the nightlock out of his hand and hugging him…their interview with Casear after the games…the victory ball at Snow's mansion…_**

"Katniss," he began, gripping her arm tightly.

**_The heat of the second games. The fog. The monkeys. Katniss' screams from the jabberjays…_**

"What's wrong?" she asked frantically, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Is it a headache?"

"I remember…" he breathed.

"I know, Peeta, you've started recovery-"

"No, I mean I remember…" he whispered, "everything" he said, looking into her eyes.

Katniss gaped. "H-How can that be?"

"I remember everything," Peeta whispered to himself again. "The first games, the victory tour, the jungle…you kissing me goodbye-"

"If you're just playing with me-" Katniss began to threaten.

"I'm not," Peeta told her honestly, standing up. "Ask me anything," he urged.

Katniss took a deep breath. "The color dress I wore… the first reaping."

"Blue," he answered quickly. "Your hair was in a bun…" he trailed off. "I remember my mother's last words to me before we left. She told me she thought district 12 would finally have a winner. But she wasn't-"

"Talking about you," Katniss breathed, her eyes flickering up into his. "How is this happening?" She took a deep breath as she remembered Prim's words.

_There's always the chance of achieving personal connection with someone. The memories just… well they come back._

Standing up, Katniss threw her arms around his neck. He picked her up and whirled her around.

"God, I love you," Peeta told her as they hugged. He placed her down, looking into her eyes.

"I love you," Katniss said, blushing. She kissed him quickly, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Peeta threw on a sweater and his boots, before following Katniss out the door, bumping into someone. "Sorry…" he began saying, absent-mindedly.

Katniss looked into Gale's hurt eyes, as he watched frozen Peeta close the door to his room where they had just come out...together, her clothes the same from the night before. "Gale…" She started.

Not saying anything, Gale walked away briskly, his fingers from one hand pressing into his temples.

"Gale!" She called again, hoping he would turn around. He didn't.

Peeta watched her, confused. "Katniss…" he started.

Katniss' eyes welled with tears. "I didn't mean for him to find out like that," she began.

Peeta looked at her. "How did you mean for him to find out?"

"I don't know," Katniss stammered. "Maybe I would have… told him-"

"_Maybe_ you would have told him?" Peeta exclaimed angrily. "Man, are you still playing this game with both of us?"

"Peeta, you don't understand," Katniss said. **_Shit_**.

"You're right, I don't understand," Peeta said quietly. "Why don't you explain it to me."

"I…" Katniss trailed off. "I don't want to hurt him. I don't know-"

"Do you love him?" Peeta asked. "After everything that's happened between us."

Katniss looked at the ceiling. "Don't do this..."

"Do what?!" Peeta argued. "Do you love him? It's a yes or no question."

"He's my best friend…" Katniss stammered shakily. "You don't understand, I can't just-"

Peeta began backing away from her, the anger in his eyes. "I guess some things never change."

"Peeta!" She called after him. "Peeta stop!"

She watched his strong back walk away from her. She never felt so alone. Looking around her frantically, she ducked into a supply closet down the hall, sinking to the floor, tears falling silently.

* * *

Haymitch paced around the large conference table. "Where is she?" He asked the rest of the group.

Gale, Cressida, Plutarch, Coin, and Commander Paylor sat next to the returning victors who had returned to the rebel cause to fight around the large conference table.

"Last I saw she was with him," Gale spat out, tilting his head slightly to where Peeta leaned against the back wall of the room.

"Peeta?" Haymitch asked him.

"I haven't seen her," Peeta said bitterly. "She probably went looking for you," he said, talking to the back of Gale's head.

"Enough of this stupid love triangle," Johanna Mason snapped.

"I couldn't agree more," Katniss said from the head of the room, all heads whirling towards her. The room fell silent as she strolled in, confidently, sitting down at the head of the table. "Can we discuss important things?" She asked the group, not looking at Gale or Peeta.

"It's time to invade the capitol," Plutarch began. "Since we've arrested Delly, Snow is caught off guard. He doesn't know what our moves are, now is the time to strike."

"I'm ready," Finnick said, a dangerous smile spreading across his face.

"Only problem is, we need the Holo to get through," Coin started. "And since Boggs died, we don't know who he left it to."

"I can try to unlock it," Paylor said confidently.

"He left it to me," Katniss said clearly. The group fell silent.

"That's ridiculous," Paylor argued. "He would never-"

"You want to debate this with me?" Katniss said, threateningly. "He told me with his dying breath…" she trailed off.

"What is it, Katniss?" Haymitch asked silently.

Katniss stood up, facing the group that was still sitting in their seats around the table. "He wanted to make sure I went to the capitol."

"No," Gale stated immediately, staring down.

"It's too risky Katniss. You won't make it out-" Haymitch attempted.

"I am the only one who can control the Holo," Katniss sneered. "You need me with you. It was Bogg's way of making sure that I went. You can't go without me."

Haymitch looked at Paylor, begging her to contradict what Katniss was saying.

"She's right," Coin says. "She has to go."

Katniss looked at Johanna and Finnick. "The other victors come with me…" Then she looked at Peeta. "Not you," she said bitterly.

"Katniss-" Finnick began, as Peeta rolled his eyes.

"Don't be dramatic, Katniss," Plutarch began. Peeta remembered his conversation with him only a few days earlier.

_Let me know when you're ready to die for her again._ **_No wonder he wants me to go._**

"You've never had a problem with dramatics before, Plutarch?" Katniss snapped. "Remember the masquerade? Remember the propos?"

"Girl on fire is really on fire today," Johanna said, a greedy grin spreading from ear to ear. Plutarch turned red.

"We do this on my terms," Katniss snapped at the group. "You want me to fight?" She addressed them, finally turning and looking at Peeta. "I'm going."

"You will probably die-" Haymitch began.

"I've heard you say that twice now, Haymitch," Katniss glared at him. "Remember? Before both of the games?"

"Damn…" Beetee said. "I don't know what pissed you off, Katniss, but you're really ready to go!"

Katniss winked at him, slightly smiling. "One more thing, President Coin?" She looked at Coin innocently.

Coin, slightly annoyed at Katniss' new found inner strength, glared at her. "Yes, mockingjay?" She snapped.

"I'm the one to kill Snow," Katniss said, darkly. Then she looked at Plutarch and Cressida. "Make sure to get it on tape," she commanded.

Plutarch grinned. "Atta girl!" He cheered.

Katniss looked ahead of her, locking eyes with Coin. Her cold stare told her everything she needed to know.

**_Of course Snow wants me to go. She wants me to die, so I don't threaten her anymore._** Katniss rolled her eyes at this realization.

Paylor stood up. "Training starts this afternoon. We leave the day after tomorrow."

Katniss nodded, turning and leaving the room. She was angry; angry at Peeta, angry at Gale. She no longer cared if she lived or died. She needed to take out her anger.

**_Neither of them even listened to me…_** She thought in her mind. **_Whatever, I don't need them. Two less people to worry about_** she attempted to convince herself.

Crowds spread apart as she walked through them, with a new confidence. She strolled into Bogg's office, looking under his desk and taking the holo. Then, on his desk, she noticed a gold ring. She placed it on her finger, feeling his presence.

_I believe in you._

**_I believe in me, too._**

**The final battle is coming! Sorry to separate the love :( Will they ever reunite? Will Katniss survive the war? Stay tuned! XOXO DLL**


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